Guptill takes top honours at New Zealand awards

Opening batsman Martin Guptill has claimed the top honour at the New Zealand Cricket Awards in Auckland, winning the Sir Richard Hadlee Medal for 2011-12. Guptill was also named ODI and Twenty20 player of the year, based on performances between September 1, 2011, and August 31, 2012. Young fast bowler Doug Bracewell picked up the other big award of the evening, being named Test Player of the Year.

Batsman Amy Satterthwaite, who averaged 51.75 in five ODIs during the judging period, was named Women's Player of the Year.

Guptill scored 681 runs in 11 Tests in the same period. He was one of the few bright spots for New Zealand on their tour of the Caribbean, where they lost in all three formats; he made 97, 67, 71 and 42 there, top scoring in three of the four innings. In ODIs, against Zimbabwe home and away, his sequence of scores read 74, 105, 70, 77 and 85. In all, he scored 579 runs in 13 matches in the format. In 13 Twenty20s, he scored 454 at 45.40 with strong showings against South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Bracewell, who debuted in November last year, took 40 wickets in 11 games at 28.02. His best of 6 for 40 came in New Zealand's famous 7-run win against Australia in Hobart, where he claimed the wickets of Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke and Michael Hussey with the score on 159 to upend their chase of 241. For that performance, Bracewell also picked up the Fans Choice for Outstanding Individual Performance award.

The winners were decided by an independent selection panel headed by former New Zealand Cricket president Don Neely, and included former New Zealand wicketkeeper Ian Smith and veteran radio commentator, Bryan Waddle.