As the BLACKCAPS continue plotting to break a summer of cricketing deadlocks with the West Indies, the tourists' captain, Chris Gayle, has emerged as an obvious focal point.
While Shivnarine Chanderpaul was nominated before and during the drawn test series as the West Indies' most damaging batsman, there is little doubt that mantle has now transferred to the laid-back left hander from Jamaica.
Not only did Gayle help thwart New Zealand's bid for victory in the final test at Napier with a masterful 197, his influence -- or lack of it -- during the Twenty20 matches ensure the opener will be a coveted wicket when the five-match one-day series starts here on Wednesday (12pm NZT).
Gayle twice flayed New Zealand's attack to secure victory in the Twenty20 opener on Boxing Day, slamming 67 off 41 deliveries -- 50 in boundaries -- before returning in the match-defining extra over to help the West Indies plunder 25 from Daniel Vettori's six balls.
However, his impact was severely limited in Hamilton yesterday -- his dismissal to the eighth ball off the innings for one effectively killing off the West Indies' unlikely quest for 192.
The chase eventually fizzled out 36 runs short -- the equivalent of three or so overs of Gayle-force blows.
Vettori, delighted to see the back of Gayle so early at Seddon Park, said his counterpart's influence could not be overstated.
"We view Gayle like they probably view Brendon (McCullum). If they can get him early or we can get him early that changes the momentum of the game.
"You could almost see that (momentum) sucked out of the West Indies when he was dismissed in the second over (in Hamilton) and we lifted because of it."
Fast bowler Kyle Mills, who was not immune from Gayle's whirlwind half century in Auckland, insisted New Zealand had the batting depth to dominate the series, providing the 187-game veteran was removed early.
"They rely on him big time and he's hitting the ball so well at the moment," Mills said after the New Zealand team arrived in the resort town.
"When you come across sides with a guy playing so well, if you can get him out early it sort of deflates the rest of the guys in the team.
"He's a big player for them, he's probably the most in-form batsman going around at the moment. He's a big wicket, so is Chanderpaul and (Ramnaresh) Sarwan.
"If we can get those guys out early and not let them get a good start we should get on top of them."
Mills said undermining Gayle had been a prime consideration as New Zealand seek to improve on their current world ranking of five -- and taking it slow was a favoured option.
"I think the slower balls worked quite well to him at Eden Park and Ewen Thompson got him out with a slower ball as well (in Hamilton).
"He likes the ball coming on to his bat at a consistent pace. If we can undo him with variations and field placements maybe that can be the unravelling of him."
New Zealand can take some solace from Gayle's statistics as they fret about his raw hitting power.
He averages 40.06 with a strike rate 81.21 as he approaches the 200-game mark in his career, though he has been far less prolific against New Zealand.
In 16 matches he averages just 26.07 with a highest score of 67 made when New Zealand visited Gayle's home island in June 2002.
New Zealand's recent history against the eighth-ranked West Indies also indicates they should have a degree of optimism.
The West Indies hold a 23 to 18 win-loss ratio over New Zealand but since 2000 the Black Caps have won 14 of the 21 matches, losing four while three have been washed out.
"We should have confidence going into this series," Mills said.
"For some reason we perform really well in one-day cricket. It's a more structured game, guys can identify their roles much more clearly and understand them much more than test cricket."
Vettori, meanwhile, was more cautious.
"There's an element of parity about both teams, I think it'll be the same in the one day series.
"We're confident on our home tracks but we know they've got some pretty destructive players led by Gayle, Sarwan and Chanderpaul," he said.
"If we can do our utmost to eliminate their contributions throughout this series it will give us a huge chance of winning."
NZPA
