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There was a noisy, exuberant crowd at Westpac Stadium on Saturday to witness the New Zealand Black Caps smash a lethargic, seemingly dispirited West Indian side into submission.
The decisive victory was set up by one of the great innings in ODI cricket, with Martin Guptill batting himself into cricketing glory, scoring 237 in 163 balls.
It was the second-highest score ever recorded in ODI and the highest ever in the history of the World Cup. When Guptill reached 193 he recorded the highest score a New Zealander has ever scored in an ODI.
Yet these statistics don’t do justice to this fabulous innings. Listing the numbers is like saying that the Taj Mahal is constructed with so many thousands of brick blocks and tonnes of marble. It ignores the majesty, incredible beauty and uniqueness of the building itself (and Guptill’s batting), and its stunning effect on our sensibilities as a work of genius.
I have seen virtually all the great batsmen in the last 60 years, from Len Hutton through to Michael Clark. This innings ranks with the very best played by any one of these champions.
Guptill – tall, rangy in build, fluid and athletic in style – punched the first ball of the World Cup quarter-final for a four.
“At this rate we’re going to score 400,” a loquacious, well-lubricated chap behind me yelled. It seemed a rather braggart call at the time. But Guptill’s magical innings got the Black Caps to within a few runs of this unthinkable total.
Then, when Guptill was dropped by Marlon Samuels a few balls later, the same chap called out to the hapless fieldsman standing on the boundary near us: “Don’t let it get you down for the whole game.” Samuels was mercilessly reminded of his dropped catch throughout the innings.
When the Black Caps lost a couple of wickets towards the end of their run chase, the call went out to Guptill: “Six over here, buddy.” And sure enough, the next ball was swept with great power towards where we were sitting, some rows back in the stand in the midwicket area.
On reaching 200, Guptill was greeted with calls of “Now get to 250!” He promptly hit the next two balls for six and four.
Luke Ronchi organised the strike at the death so that Guptill faced the last over. Guptill responded with a 6, 2, 6, 4, 2 onslaught.
The West Indies had no chance of winning the match after these heroics but they, especially Chris Gayle, launched their own attack to such an effect that there were nervous mutterings in the crowd after the first 100 came up in double-quick time that perhaps, perhaps we were going to see the greatest ODI match ever played.
Then, as we all thought the ball was soaring away into the shadows of the far stand, Daniel Vettori made an AFL leap near the boundary rope, steadied on his back foot and held the ball up in his left hand in triumph. Around the ground, people in orange shirts were vying for the chance of snaffling the million-dollar catch. An orange shirt and a pen was thrown down to Vettori who signed it and threw it back.
By then, Vettori was surrounded by his fellow Black Caps who had sprinted from all parts of the field to congratulate the old spin-bowling master.
This enthusiasm was a feature of the Black Caps’ play. On one occasion the ball had been snicked behind the wicket towards the far boundary. Four Black Caps fielders, including three of the slips cordon, hunted after the ball like an All Blacks side swooping on the opposition’s try line.
As well as a palpable team spirit, the Blacks Caps have the best attacking captain in the tournament.
Brendon McCullum kept his slips in place, as he has throughout the tournament, even when the West Indian tornado of runs threatened to blow away the Black Caps lead. And he kept Trent Boult on for his 10 overs in one stint to maintain a pressure on the West Indies that ultimately broke their resistance.
Today’s World Cup semi-final between New Zealand and South Africa at Eden Park has the visitors deemed favourites by the bookmakers. Perhaps this is right.
But as someone who saw Guptill’s innings, Vettori’s catch, Boult’s lethal bowling, McCullum’s shrewd gambling captaincy, and the infectious and knowledgeable enthusiasm of the partisan home crowd, I would offer this advice to the South Africans: the Black Caps are performing like a cricket equivalent of the All Blacks. Watch out!