Martin Guptill

Opposition attacks dreaded the sight of Martin Guptill striding to the crease, all long levers and a trigger movement that always seemed a split second ahead of the bowler. The only New Zealander to score a World Cup double hundred, his 237 not out against the West Indies in the 2015 quarter-final in Wellington remains the highest individual score in World Cup history, a brutal exhibition of timing and raw power.

That innings was the crowning moment of a career that combined classical cover drives with brutal pulls and cuts. Guptill could take a game away in the powerplay, and he was a mainstay at the top of New Zealand's order for over a decade, forming a formidable opening partnership with Brendon McCullum that set the tone for many victories. He also played in two World Cup finals, in 2015 and 2019, and it was his run out off the last ball of the 2019 super over at Lord's that handed England the title.

Beyond international cricket, Guptill plied his trade in T20 leagues around the world. He finished with more than 3,500 T20I runs, for a time the most by any player, and his strike rate consistently troubled bowlers for Auckland and franchises across several countries.

Guptill faded from the international side after 2022, when New Zealand released him from his central contract, and he later confirmed his retirement from international cricket. His 7,000-plus ODI runs place him among the finest openers of his generation, but it is the sheer violence of his hitting that fans will remember, a player who could turn a game on its head within ten overs.