1News can reveal Black Caps opener Martin Guptill played nearly the entire Twenty20 World Cup and the whole T20 series against India with a suspected broken big toe - on the foot that's already missing three.
Guptill is on his way home with the rest of the limited overs Black Caps and while it hasn't been x-rayed yet, the lengths they've gone to allow him to play have been substantial.
It started in sixth over of the Black Caps’ opening match of their campaign against Pakistan when Guptill wore a 150km/h yorker from pacer Haris Rauf on his left foot.
Guptill told 1News he knew something was wrong.
“I was in a bit of pain and then was obviously out next ball,” Guptill recalled.
The Black Caps star broke a toe in his left foot, which is already missing three toes due to a previous accident. (Source: 1 Sport)
“I tried to get out in the field that game, I think I got through six or seven overs and I couldn't run anymore - it was just too sore.”
Despite the pain, the opener played the remaining nine games through to the final and the three-match series against India, practically on one foot.
It’s the foot he's already missing three toes on after an accident when he was young, essentially leaving him with just one decent toe for balance.
“I trialled it out at training to sort of see what the feeling was like and managed to get through that fine so then once I got out in the middle, I was confident I could get through,” Guptill said.
Black Caps coach Gary Stead said Guptill needed some help to be able to do that.
“We had to get some injections just to ease the pain for him,” Stead said.
“It was a great effort from him to get through that.”
Guptill had an injection before every game in the tournament where he averaged 30 runs at the top of the order.
He was also a standout for New Zealand in the whitewash by India, leading the way at the top with two half centuries.
“I try and give my all for the Black Caps any time I go out there and nothing was going to change for these three games,” Guptill said of the series.
Guptill said he’d use his time in MIQ to rest his foot before he looks to make a return with Auckland in the upcoming Super Smash competition over the Kiwi summer.
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