Guptill will be missed but he has not retired, says Williamson

|| CF DESK ||

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has admitted that the team will miss Martin Guptill, who declined a central contract and was thus released by NZC.

The 36-year-old opener has joined a growing number of New Zealand players seeking opportunities outside of the country.

The proliferation of franchise cricket has resulted in a T20 league for almost every month of the year, making it an appealing package for many cricketers.

Trent Boult, James Neesham, and Colin de Grandhomme have all chosen to pursue that path, leaving New Zealand in a bind.

"Obviously, he has made a decision to explore a few other options but as a player and as an experienced member of the group, he has added so much value over the years and been one of our best white-ball players ever" Williamson said.

With over 10,000 white-ball runs, Guptill has been a crucial part of New Zealand's success but they appear to have moved on from him. He didn't play any of their games at the T20 World Cup and was dropped from the squad altogether for the ongoing India series.

"Without getting a playing opportunity, he was outstanding and offering to all the players in the group. So, he's been fantastic in so many areas of the environment. Absolutely, he will be missed, but like I say he's not retired. So there's a lot to keep working through over the next period to get a real feel for how the picture looks" he added.

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has admitted that the team will miss Martin Guptill, who declined a central contract and was thus released by NZC.

The 36-year-old opener has joined a growing number of New Zealand players seeking opportunities outside of the country.

The proliferation of franchise cricket has resulted in a T20 league for almost every month of the year, making it an appealing package for many cricketers. Trent Boult, James Neesham, and Colin de Grandhomme have all chosen to pursue that path, leaving New Zealand in a bind.

"It's just trying to strike that balance, like we've seen with a few other players who have also sort of looked at some of those other opportunities. It's a bit of a moving landscape. So it's trying to weigh that up and look at how it can all work moving forward,”

"Guptill hasn't retired. He is looking at playing some other tournaments while still being available, but like I say, it's balancing that moving forward. He's still very motivated to keep playing and getting better. And I think that's important for all players, even though he has played such a long, amazing career. As a mate and a team-mate over a long period of time, we had a few good chats. And it's managing that time. As a player, you always go through different periods and you get to different stages, and you're trying to basically manage that as best you can" NZ skipper said.