Limited overs specialist Martin Guptill has been put on standby in case Ross Taylor fails to recover from an injury, New Zealand coach Mike Hesson said on Tuesday. New Zealand and England lock horns in the first of the two-match Test series, starting on March 22 at Eden Park in Auckland. Taylor is fighting to return to full fitness after picking up a thigh injury in the recently-concluded ODI series against England.
“Martin’s made a shift to the middle order,” Hesson told Radio Sport.
“He hasn’t had a lot of opportunity there, but with his ability to cover all positions it’s nice to have him back.”
Guptill has an universal reputation as a shorter formats player, averaging 42.99, but is yet to prove himself in the longer format, where his figures drop to 29.38. The opening Test of the two-match series, which starts Thursday, is a day-night fixture at Eden Park, the first pink-ball Test ever staged in New Zealand.
