NZ batter Martin Guptill retires from international cricket
Auckland, Jan 8: New Zealand batter Martin Guptill on Wednesday announced his retirement from international cricket, though the 38-year-old will continue to play in the T20 leagues around the world.
Currently, Guptill, who last played for New Zealand in 2022, is leading the Auckland Aces in this season's Super Smash.
"As a young kid it was always my dream to play for New Zealand and I feel incredibly lucky and proud to have played 367 games for my country," Guptill said in a statement issued by the New Zealand Cricket.
"I will forever cherish the memories made wearing the silver fern alongside a great group of guys," he added.
Guptill has played 47 Tests but the white ball format was his calling card. He scored 7346 runs from 198 matches with 18 hundreds and 39 fifties.
The right-hander also appeared in 122 T20I for the Blackcaps, making 3531 runs with two hundreds and 20 fifties.
Guptill is the first Kiwi player to score a hundred on ODI debut and he also became the first New Zealander to score an ODI double-century during the ICC World Cup 2015 when he smashed 237 in the quarter-final win over the West Indies at Wellington.
New Zealand Test captain Tom Latham said Guptill was a true match winner.
"Firstly, I'd just like to congratulate Gup on a fantastic international career. I was fortunate to open the batting with him over many years and I often felt I had the best seat in the house to watch him go about his work.
"On his day Gup was world-class and his crisp ball striking and timing could take down the best bowling attacks in the world.
"His numbers speak for themselves, but it was the matches he helped us win that I'll remember, along with the way he set the standard in the field," said Latham.
Among the most memorable moment for him as a fielder was his stunning direct hit run-out of Mahendra Singh Dhoni during New Zealand's semifinal win over India at the 2019 World Cup in England.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
