Martin Guptill awarded Fujitsu Heat Pumps MVP honour
Martin Guptill produced another superb innings of 70 (off 41 balls) during the HRV Cup final to finish the competition on top of the Fujitsu Heat Pumps MVP rankings for 2012.
Guptill thrilled the home crowd with an intelligent innings that was punctuated by 4 boundaries and 4 huge sixes, ultimately laying the platform for the Auckland Aces victory.
Aces captain Gareth Hopkins acknowledged Guptill's contribution throughout the tournament by stating "Martin has been in devastating form and his combination with Azhar at the top of the innings ensured we got off to a great start in most games. While it's hard to single out any one player Gup certainly deserves this recognition as the MVP this year".
Not only did Guptill win the overall MVP, but he also finished at the top of the Fujitsu Heat Pumps MVP batting table as well. Guptill made 504 runs throughout the HRV Cup at an average of 72, scoring one of the six centuries in the competition to complement three further half centuries.
The MVP formula accounts for all areas in which a player contributes to the team and although Guptill's athleticism in the field accounted for some valuable fielding points, he was not completely invincible, finishing with a negative MVP bowling points tally.
Guptill himself said "I am thrilled to win the Fujitsu Heat Pumps MVP award this year. We had a great campaign and it is great to think that my efforts have helped the Aces to be the first team to defend the HRV Cup title".
Canterbury Wizards all-rounder Rob Nicol completed another outstanding season of T20 cricket to finish the Fujitsu Heat Pumps MVP rankings in 2nd place. Nicol was the only player to feature inside the top 10 of both the overall MVP batting (5th) and bowling (2nd) tables and had the distinction of being the highest placed player in both MVP categories for the Wizards.
The T20 format is not considered a favourite pastime for bowlers, least of all for spinners with batsmen in an aggressive mindset. However, this year the two leading MVP bowlers were both spinners and a total six of the top 11 players were also spinners, reinforcing the trend for the slower bowlers playing a big role in T20 cricket.
Roneel Hira was the winner of the Fujitsu Heat Pumps MVP bowling rankings and was the joint leading wicket taker in the competition. Hira's 76.06 MVP bowling points placed him well clear of Rob Nicol who was second with 54.27. The Auckland Aces team had four players (Andre Adams, Michael Bates and Kyle Mills) inside the top 10 MVP bowling rankings who all combined to suppress their oppositions scoring momentum during much of the HRV Cup.
The winner of the Fujitsu Heat Pumps MVP fielding rankings for the T20 was Central Stags wicket keeper Kruger van Wyk.
Fujitsu Heat Pumps MVP Overall
1. Martin Guptill - 144.76
2. Rob Nicol - 138.51
3. Azhar Mahmood - 112.21
4. Brendon McCullum - 105.65
5. Roneel Hira - 93.23
6. Doug Bracewell - 89.49
7. Brendon Taylor - 82.29
8. James Franklin - 80.69
9. Scott Styris - 74.23
10. Andrew Ellis - 68.28
Fujitsu Heat Pumps MVP Batting
1. Martin Guptill - 128.56
2. Brendon McCullum - 99.65
3. Azhar Mahmood - 87.15
4. James Franklin - 72.57
5. Rob Nicol - 69.28
6. Hamish Marshall - 58.78
7. Brad Wilson - 58.57
8. Brendon Taylor - 57.29
9. Michael Pollard - 54.67
10. Jamie How - 53.39
Fujitsu Heat Pumps MVP Bowling
1. Roneel Hira - 76.06
2. Rob Nicol - 54.27
3. Andy McKay - 50.98
4. Andre Adams - 48.53
5. Michael Bates - 48.01
6. Tarun Nethula - 47.33
7. Kyle Mills - 46.15
8. Mitchell Claydon - 44.61
9. Doug Bracewell - 43.57
10. Muttiah Muralitharan - 40.90
Leading Fujitsu Heat Pumps MVP performances per team
Wellington Firebirds 1. Brendon Taylor - 82.29 (7th overall)
2. James Franklin - 80.69 (8th overall)
3. Michael Pollard - 59.67 (17th overall)
Batting: James Franklin - 72.57
Bowling: Andy McKay - 50.98
Otago Volts1. Brendon McCullum - 105.65 (4th overall)
2. Neil Broom - 57.69 (22nd overall)
3. Dimitri Mascarenhas - 45.95 (40th overall)
Batting: Brendon McCullum - 99.65
Bowling: Nick Beard - 23.60
Northern Knights1. Scott Styris - 74.23 (9th overall)
2. Hamish Marshall - 66.78 (11th overall)
3. Daniel Vettori - 66.70 (12th overall)
Batting: Hamish Marshall - 58.78
Bowling: Daniel Vettori - 40.73
Central Stags1. Doug Bracewell - 89.49 (6th overall)
2. Jamie How - 61.39 (16th overall)
3. Tarun Nethula - 57.60 (23rd overall)
Batting: Jamie How - 53.39
Bowling: Tarun Nethula - 47.53
Canterbury Wizards1. Rob Nicol - 138.51 (2nd overall)
2. Andrew Ellis - 68.28 (10th overall)
3. Brendon Diamante - 61.96 (15th overall)
Batting: Rob Nicol - 69.27
Bowling: Rob Nicol - 54.27
Auckland Aces1. Martin Guptill - 144.76 (1st overall)
2. Azhar Mahmood - 112.24 (3rd overall)
3. Roneel Hira - 93.23 (5th overall)
Batting: Martin Guptill - 128.56
Bowling: Roneel Hira - 76.06
Check the full Fujitsu Heat Pumps MVP rankings
