Such problems haven't dogged him domestically. He's scored two centuries and a 55 in his last four Ford Trophy innings.
However, like Hamish Rutherford in the test format, the selectors have persevered. Guptill has the added security of being in the World Cup squad. That guarantees him a maximum of six further ODI innings and a couple of warm-ups before the tournament start.
It's hoped persistence will eventually deliver Guptill more 2013 Southampton moments of zen, like when he made New Zealand's highest one-day score - 189 not out - against England, an innings in which his bat behaved like a magic wand.
Unfortunately the weather did its best to disrupt his rhythm, in addition to the efforts of the Sri Lankan bowlers who had him chopping two French cuts and a return chip in the early stanzas.
Guptill's resurrection may have been helped, in a peculiar way, by the premature dismissal of Brendon McCullum for 28 off 22 balls. It meant he was not subject to peer pressure to take advantage of the short boundaries like his skipper.
McCullum fell to a steepling catch from Nuwan Kulasekara off Angelo Mathews, much to the chagrin of dozens of orange T-shirted fans looking to benefit with one-handed catches from the latest Tui beer promotion. They swarmed to prime posts 20m beyond long-on and long-off. Mathews also bowled Tom Latham for 42 and had Ross Taylor lbw for three to finish with three for 21 from 6.5 overs.
The groundsmen end up playing the biggest cameos like a land-lubbing crew of America's Cup sailors wrestling the scrim and plastic covers into position as misty rain swept in.
The seven-match series remains level at 1-1.
