A Guptill Grand Slam

Martin Guptill said his World Cup record 237 not out against the West Indies made in New Zealand's thumping quarterfinal victory on Saturday had not "really sunk in yet".

The 28-year-old opener's total surpassed the previous World Cup best of 215, made by the West Indies' Chris Gayle against Zimbabwe at Canberra last month, and was the cornerstone of tournament co-hosts New Zealand's dominant 143-run win.

Guptill, dropped on four by Marlon Samuels, faced 163 balls as he hit 24 fours and 11 sixes, one of them a 110-metre rocket that landed on the roof of Wellington's Westpac Stadium.

His innings was also the second-highest individual score in the 3,643 match history of one-day internationals, behind Rohit Sharma's 264 for India against Sri Lanka at Kolkata last year.

It was all the more remarkable because Guptill's left foot was maimed in a forklift accident when he was a teenager, resulting in the loss of three toes and almost ending his career before it had begun.

Guptill said his contribution to New Zealand's last-eight success felt "pretty cool" but he was concentrating on their next challenge, a semifinal against South Africa in Auckland on Tuesday.

"It hasn't really sunk in yet and we've still got a bit of work to do in this tournament so I can't dwell in it too much," he said.

The Aucklander, who scored a century in New Zealand's previous match against Bangladesh, said he had to ignore the pressure of playing a knockout match in front of a home crowd.

"Obviously there is pressure when you walk in to bat but you've just got to try to put it out of your mind and watch the ball as well as you can," explained Guptill after his seventh three-figure score in 106 ODIs.

"That's what I tried to do today, I'm just lucky it paid off."

It was just the sixth double century in an ODI as Guptill became the fifth batsman to reach the landmark -- Sharma has two 200s to his credit.

Guptill's innings also saw him break his own record for the highest ODI score by a New Zealander, which had stood at 189 not out and was set against England at Southampton in 2013.

Guptill said he was thrilled to bat through the entire innings, explaining he felt comfortable on the drop-in pitch once he got his eye in.

Guptill's nickname among his teammates is 'Two Toes' because of the accident that occurred when he was a 13-year-old working on his father Peter's property.

Former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming visited him in hospital, and Peter Guptill said the accident had shaped his son's attitude towards cricket.

If New Zealand, bidding for a maiden World Cup semifinal win in seven attempts, defeat South Africa they will face either Australia or defending champions India -- who meet in Sydney on Thursday -- in a Melbourne final on March 29.

He said Martin Crowe, who has terminal cancer, had sent him a message on Friday to just put the ball into gaps.

- Martin Guptill scored 237, the highest for any batsman in a World Cup innings, overtaking Chris Gayle's 215 against Zimbabwe.

- His four fifties came off 64, 47, 23 and 18 deliveries.

- This is the second highest score in ODIs and the highest by any Kiwi.

- He scored 117 off his first 120 balls and 120 off the next 43 balls.

Numbers Game

*  393 - New Zealand scored 393 runs in this game, the most by any team in a World Cup knockout.

* 300 - West Indies are the only Test nation to have never chased a 300-plus target in ODIs. 

* 96 - Andre Russell gave 96 runs, the most in  World Cup knockouts.

* 2 - West Indies are the only team to concede two double-tons.

Trivia

- Both Rohit Sharma & Guptill reached their maiden ODI 200 in their 103rd innings and were dropped on 4.

- 31 sixes were hit yesterday, the previous highest in a World Cup match was 19.

- The 143-run victory margin was the highest in a knockout.

- It was the fastest-scoring match in WC history (RR:7.98).