KEY POINTS:
For anyone looking for a spot of day-after Christmas cheer, there could be worse places to park up for three hours today than Eden Park.
Those who do could be in for a treat with the only batsman to have hit an international Twenty20 century in town. Clue one: he's not a New Zealander; clue two: he's in top form right now; and clue three: he's not called Shivnarine Chanderpaul.
When Twenty20 internationals began, there were ruminations on what the boundaries would be for a team's total. Sri Lanka's 260 for six off Kenya in the world championship in September 2007 is the record. But West Indian captain Chris Gayle is the only player to have reached a century in the shortest form of the game.
The tall lefthander plundered 117 off just 57 balls against South Africa in Johannesburg last year. Ten of the 57 deliveries cleared the fence. Whatever your view of Twenty20 cricket, that's entertainment by any measure. Gayle is coming off a strong test series, culminating in a match-saving 197 at Napier in the second test this week.
The only time New Zealand and the West Indies have clashed in this version of cricket was at Eden Park in February 2006. It ended in a tie, New Zealand's batting crumbling in the closing overs.
Much has happened since then. While New Zealand are on a seven-match losing streak going back to the World Twenty20 championship in South Africa 15 months ago and badly in need of picking themselves up, half of the West Indies squad had their pockets swollen to the tune of US$1 million from Texan billionaire Allen Stanford last month.
Of the 15-strong West Indian squad in Auckland today, seven played in that 10-wicket win over England in Antigua - Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Sulieman Benn, Kieron Pollard, Jerome Taylor and Daren Powell.
The stakes are rather lower and the emphasis is significantly different today.
"They're playing for pride this time," West Indies coach John Dyson said.
"We'll see what value they place on that.
"They have a lot of Twenty20 experience and it's a form of the game they are very comfortable and happy with."
It's also made some of them seriously wealthy for a couple of hours work. They have brought three new players in for the limited-overs leg of the tour. Pollard, 21, is a former West Indies under 19 World Cup player, an exciting batsman from Trinidad who hit two centuries in his first three first-class matches; left arm spinner Nikita Miller took 10 wickets to help Jamaica win the equivalent of the first-class championship earlier this year and has played
seven ODIs; and Shawn Findlay, a lefthand Jamaican batsman with 6 ODIs behind him.
While New Zealand have played 16 Twenty20 internationals - five wins, 10 defeats and that tie - the West Indies have played only eight Twenty20 internationals, winning three, losing four.
New Zealand have brought in one new face, Central Districts left armer Ewen Thompson, and recalled fast-medium Mark Gillespie, non-test playing batsman Scott Styris, and swing bowler Tim Southee, unwanted in either test in the last two weeks.
"It's not much fun watching. It made me hungry to get back in and do it again," Southee said. He made his New Zealand debut in last season's two Twenty20 games against England.
Brendon McCullum and Jesse Ryder will reunite at the top of the order. Ryder is in sweet touch from the test series, McCullum always bristles to get things going. Jacob Oram, over a calf strain, is likely to play only as a batsman.
A second Twenty20 clash will be held at Hamilton's Seddon Park on Sunday, followed by a five-game ODI series starting in Queenstown on New Year's Eve.
