It took until the fourth meeting between the two sides this summer, but Ramnaresh Sarwan, 28, has finally shown a glimpse of the form missing during the drawn two-test series.
Sarwan only managed 20 runs in three test innings in Dunedin and Napier -- a meagre return that saw his test average dip under 40 (39.58).
But the stylish right hander's morale-boosting half century in the second and final Twenty20 clash at Hamilton on Sunday indicates the West Indian batsman from Guyana could be on the verge of making a decent contribution.
The Twenty20 format may be all about entertainment but for Sarwan his 53 off 36 balls at Seddon Park served a more important purpose -- boosting his confidence after a disappointing test series in the pivotal position of first drop.
New Zealand and the West Indies were both wary of placing too much stock on the shared Twenty20 games but for the likes of Brendon McCullum, Jesse Ryder, Gayle and Sarwan they at least carried batting form into today's opening match at the Queenstown Events Centre.
"It's given me a lot of confidence," said Sarwan of a whirlwind innings that included three boundaries and three sixes.
"I was struggling in the tests, I didn't really get any runs so to score a few in the Twenty20, I was pretty pleased.
"Hopefully I can take the same sort of form into the series."
Sarwan's test failures were surprising, given he averaged 45.83 during the West Indies last test series -- a three-match rubber against Australia in the Caribbean in May-June.
Along with fellow Guyanese Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Sarwan was the only top order batsman to thrive against an Australian side still in their prime.
Sarwan offered a simple explanation for his innings of eight, 11 and one here.
"It was a matter of shot selection. I followed a wide ball (in his first innings in Dunedin) and I tried to cut one too close to me (in Napier).
He was also leg before wicket to Daniel Vettori, also in Napier, after the New Zealand captain successfully referred a rejected appeal to the third umpire.
In 136 one-day matches he has scored 4462 runs at 44.17 and - unlike teammates Gayle and Chanderpaul - has maintained close to that average against New Zealand.
Chanderpaul's average is 40.84 over 238 ODIs though it drops to 25.36 when confined to his 27 matches against New Zealand. Gayle has a career average of 40.06 -- but it is only 26.07 when the Black Caps are involved.
Sarwan, meanwhile, has consistently been an impediment for New Zealand. He has scored 502 runs in 15 matches at 41.83. Only once has he been dismissed in single figures -- for two at the Port of Spain in Trinidad six years ago. On eight occasions he has scored 40 or better.
"It's good to average mid-40s in any form of the game," a buoyant Sarwan said before the West Indies final training session.
"Hopefully I'll be able to contribute and help the team win the series."
Sarwan says his batting and that of Gayle and Chanderpaul would have a significant bearing on whether the eighth-ranked one-day side in the world can get the better of No 5 on home soil.
"We're the most experienced players and batters -- it's important we try and give the young players as much support as we can and see how much you can teach them."
Sarwan said the series was important for the West Indies, who are looking for momentum before hosting England.
It was also an important learning experience for the likes of relative rookies Xavier Marshall, Nikita Miller, Kieron Pollard and Shawn Findlay.
"They know they have a responsibility, they know it's a great chance to cement a place in the team and become better players," Sarwan said.
