Major tournaments call for major players they don't get much more major in the Blackcaps white-ball realm than Kane Williamson and Martin Guptill. Two lads who have played plenty of T20 cricket around the world, faced the funkiest bowlers the world can dish up and just happen to have been the leading run-scorers at the 2016 T20 World Cup. This Blackcaps batting unit skews much younger than that previous World Cup group and as talented as the likes of Devon Conway/Glenn Phillips types are, they'll be following the leaders.

Guptill finished as Aotearoa's best batsman in 2016 and 12th overall with 140 runs @ 35avg/157.30sr in 4 innings. Williamson wasn't too far behind, ranked 16th with 123 runs @ 24.60avg/105.12sr in 5inns and there we have the general style of these two that forms their likely roles in the batting line up. Aotearoa will need Guptill smacking his beautiful 'head-down' boundaries at the top of the innings, while Williamson's skill and prowess in ticking over the strike will help anchor the batting line up.

Strike-rate lovers should be looking for Guptill to crack over 140sr and Williamson will ideally rock around with 115-120sr. These two can adapt and adjust as well. Guptill can bat through an innings to hold it together, while Williamson might find a splash of form to consistently find gaps and score quickly. They'll have their basic roles and the key here is these two experienced batters are perfectly equipped to ensure that innings' don't blow up.

The form guide though, it's weird.

Guptill's last T20 mahi was the Pakistan Super League; 6inns - 69 runs @ 11.50avg/104.54sr.

That was after we saw Guptill smack Australia around in Aotearoa; 5inns - 218 runs @ 43.60avg/159.12sr.

Guptill finished as the leading run-scorer overall for that series and then had a solid series against Bangladesh. Through 8inns of T20I cricket this year, Guptill has a record of 39.75avg/158.20 and this has seen Guptill rectify his 2020 campaign in which his 10inns resulted in 18.50avg/135.03sr. Guptill is generally excellent in Aotearoa and while he has not played over 10 games in any other nation, Guptill's 57 games in Aotearoa amount to 37.17avg/149.03sr.

We all probably know how that's come to be. Guptill loves a bit of tempo on deliveries to smack and Aotearoa pitches are perfect for Guptill to swing through the line. Get Guptill in those PSL conditions which was played in United Arab Emirates and things change, perhaps even more so considering that Guptill's 23 T20I games in 'Asia' translate to 20.09avg/112.46sr.

For what it's worth Guptill's played 13 IPL games with 22.50avg/137.75sr - 1 x 50.

Countering all of that is Guptill's 2016 T20WC which was played in India. At least we know Guptill will open and that he'll try to bang boundaries, probably alongside Devon Conway in the opening slot while Williamson comes in at #3. Tim Seifert opened alongside Guptill in that Australia series before a lack of runs saw him dip down to the middle order for the decider, with Conway bumped up from #4 to open.

Guptill missed one game at the 2016 T20WC, otherwise opening with Williamson throughout the tournament. I reckon Williamson's a fantastic T20 opener, however Williamson stayed at #3 vs Australia and as Conway is a lefty; Blackcaps can make the most of whatever advantage the lefty/righty opening combo provides.

Williamson carried no form from the Aussie series with 82 runs @ 16.40avg/122.38sr (5inns). That however, came after a trio of 50+ scores in 5inns across 2020 (54.50avg/155.71sr) and while we all have the vibe of Guptill struggling against good spinners - Williamson may be Aotearoa's best player of spin ever.

Williamson's T20I appearances are far more sporadic than Guptill's and Williamson has far more IPL experience. Across 63 IPL games, Williamson averages 40.10 with 131.26sr and while I'm cautious of celebrating Williamson's 44.33avg/113.19sr this year as his average is high via 4 not-out innings; Williamson is Aotearoa's best IPL batsman since Brendan McCullum.

Those not-outs might be a thing. Williamson has 4 not-outs in two consecutive years, with 2 in 2019 and 3 in 2018. We don't need to get the nitty-gritty about context around those not-outs, we just need to imagine Williamson's skillset in this specific Blackcaps batting line up and not-outs mean Williamson steering his lads around. Sometimes Williamson might need to do this with 100sr, sometimes he might need to get funky and up around 125sr. The point is that Williamson can do anything the team needs.

Williamson has spent plenty of time in UAE thanks to his IPL activities. We also have a solid record of the Blackcaps moving through tournaments nicely under Williamson's captaincy. Regardless of format, Williamson leads his team to adapt and stay present in each game. Now Williamson has seen all IPL teams play a few games in UAE, seeing how conditions are and change as well as seeing how different skills have been applied.

Watching Guptill smack boundaries and save runs as a slick fielder will be fun. Williamson is the craftsman and I'm not only eager to see Williamson go about his mahi at a major tournament, this is another chance to see skipper Williamson shine. We've seen this as the Blackcaps deal with tournament flow the best and the same craft that makes Williamson so fun to watch will need to be evident in general Blackcaps business over the next few weeks.

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Peace and love.