However, if there were concerns about Guptill's readiness for the cup, they didn't sit with the player.
"I have been feeling pretty good all summer and to be finally hitting a few gaps and getting the ball out of the middle is quite nice. Hopefully I'm peaking at the right time," Guptill said last night.
New Zealand's form has been strong in the preparatory period and Guptill is putting a final piece in place.
One thing he didn't lack in the last month was support from captain Brendon McCullum and coach Mike Hesson, no doubt reinforced by the electricity he brings to his work in the field.
The pair have repeatedly stated their belief in Guptill - whose ODI average is a solid 37.11 - and made it clear his place was never in doubt, and yesterday's innings in bleak conditions and with no support will have gone some way to vindicating that.
"It is nice to have the backing of the coach and captain. I just haven't got the scores [this summer] so it's nice to spend time in the middle."
The game yesterday was washed out with New Zealand 157 for seven off 30.1 eventful overs - eventful for the Zimbabweans anyway.
They are highly unfancied to show much at the cup but there was encouragement to be had for their bowlers yesterday.
Seamer Tinashe Panyangara removed McCullum and Kane Williamson early - McCullum scored eight off four balls with two fours, so the maths aren't hard - and only Ross Taylor, with 11, got to double figures besides Guptill.
Guptill had stands of 42 with Taylor and 40 with Dan Vettori, otherwise he was the Lone Ranger.
The performance smacked of wanting to get on with the real stuff. Indeed Guptill mentioned that the start of the tournament had come along rapidly.
"It's quite scary how fast it's come along. It seems just the other day we were playing Sri Lanka in the first one-dayer, so it's come quickly but we're excited by it," he said.
New Zealand's last hitout before the cup begins is against South Africa at Hagley Oval tomorrow.
"Everyone in the team has put their hand up as some stage during the summer so there's no reason not to be confident at all.
"We'll go into the game against South Africa confident we can put a good score on the board," Guptill said.
The South Africans played Sri Lanka on that ground yesterday, winning an off-off rainy affair by five wickets with three balls to spare in a Duckworth Lewis contest.
Sri Lankan opener Tillekaratne Dilshan took the chance to reinforce he's in strong form with a rapid century.
There was good batting practice for South Africa's openers Hashim Amla (46) and Quinton de Kock (66) while key Sri Lankan bowler Lasith Malinga was tidy in his first appearance since last August.
3 things we learned yesterday
Better needed
New Zealand need an assertive final workout against South Africa tomorrow. Okay, yesterday's practice game is consigned to the bin, but they'll want something far better against one of the tournament's big shots.
Opener smiling
Martin Guptill should be quietly smiling today. For all the events at Lincoln didn't matter that much in the bigger picture, he should be feeling pretty good about his game going into Saturday's cup opener, his 100th ODI.
Cold Windies
The West Indies are, right now, rubbish. They are the leading candidates among the Big Eight for an early exit from the cup unless they find some backbone, fast.
