Blackcaps skipper Kane Williamson has taken a forward-defensive approach to questions over his part in the axing of longtime teammate Martin Guptill from the national white-ball squad.
Possibly New Zealand's greatest-ever batter in short formats, Guptill, 36, lost his opening spot to up-and-comer Finn Allen at the recent T20 World Cup and was left out of the squad altogether for the current T20/one-day home series against India.
Unwilling to retire yet, the veteran - only two matches short of 200 ODIs for his country - has responded by quitting his NZ Cricket contract to explore other professional options overseas, while still remaining available for the national team, if required.
As the Blackcaps prepare to defend their world No.1 ODI ranking against the tourists, beginning at Auckland's Eden Park on Friday, Williamson admits Guptill's experience will be missed - without quite expressing regret over his absence and almost insinuating Guptill's overseas interest came BEFORE he was dropped.
"I've had a brief chat with him and a few chats with him prior as well," he said. "I've known Martin for a long time and he's been an incredible player for New Zealand.
"Obviously, news broke yesterday and he's made decisions to play in some of these other leagues, but still available for New Zealand.
"It's a matter of trying to strike that balance, as we've seen with a few other players that have also looked at some of those opportunities. It's a bit of a moving landscape, so it's a matter of weighing that up and seeing how it can work moving forward."
Some of Guptill's former teammates have travelled down this route recently, taking quite different paths to their destinations, depending on how those conversations actually went with their employer behind closed doors.
Allrounder Colin de Grandhomme chose to retire from international cricket to contest the Australian Big Bash League, while fellow allrounder Jimmy Neesham was left off the contract list and rejected a subsequent offer, after taking up overseas opportunities in the meantime.
Fast bowler Trent Boult surrendered his contract to spend more time with his family - and take up lucrative pro offers.
Guptill's decision seems to be a result of his omission, not the reason, and as skipper, Williamson would have contributed to the decision to axe him.
"In our most recent series, he was very much in the squad and then you narrow down to a smaller squad when you play at home," he said. "It's a little bit more challenging to fit everybody in.
"We're always have different discussions around the team and the direction and with individuals, so there's always different chats happening. You're looking at the next series and different periods of time, trying to grow depth... there are a lot of factors to discuss and try to stay on top of.
"Obviously, he's decided to explore a few other options, but as a player and as a member of the team, he's added so much value over the years. Even at the T20 World Cup, without getting a playing opportunity, he was outstanding at offering to all the players in the group.
"Absolutely, he'll be missed, but he's not retired, so there's a lot to keep working through over the next period to get a feel for how the picture looks."
Without Guptill on the bench, the Blackcaps now have little choice but to persevere with Allen, 23, who has averaged just 14.00 runs over his last seven innings, since the start of the World Cup.
"In cricket, you're always going through different lessons and you get taught a number of different lessons," said Williamson. "As a young player, Finn's got an incredible amount of talent, we've seen that, and he's continuing to learn as well.
"They're all very valuable experiences to have and he's no different to any other player, whether you bat, bowl or play a few more games. That's just the nature of sport. and he's got a great appetite to keep improving and developing as a player."
Join us at 2:30pm Friday for live updates of the Blackcaps v India one-day international at Auckland's Eden Park
