'It's a fun place to play cricket' - Guptill thrilled about a World Cup in England

Guptill, who has scored 652 runs in 14 games in England, including a 155-ball knock 189* in 2013 against the hosts, likened the conditions on offer to those at home.

"I do love playing over there. It's very similar conditions to home, and you can be at ease over there and you can go out and just chill out when you're away from cricket," Guptill told reporters in Auckland on Wednesday, 15 May. "It's quite a fun place to play cricket, and the fans are great over there as well."

New Zealand will leave for England on Sunday, 19 May. Guptill, who has been keeping an eye on England's domestic competitions, reckoned that the pitches would be favourable for batsmen, as evidenced during the ongoing series between the hosts and Pakistan.

"I guess the way the One-Day Cup's gone over there, it's been reasonably flat wickets and good for batting, so there could be a few high scores. But then again, at the end of the day, you've got to bat well to get those scores, so we've just got to go out there and prepare well and make sure that we come out firing."

Guptill was among the driving forces behind New Zealand's best-ever World Cup campaign, in 2015, when they steamrolled their way to a maiden tournament final. He topped the tournament charts, with 547 runs at an average of 68.37, and scored a record-breaking 237* - the highest individual score at the World Cup - in the quarter-finals against West Indies. He has since been one of the mainstays of the New Zealand batting unit, and is aware of his role in the team.

"I've just got to out there and do my thing," he said. "If it's there, I'll try to hit it; if it's not, I'll look to either block it or get off strike. It sounds simple, doesn't it? But I can tell you it's not. It's about working with your partner at the other end - if he's going, I'll try to get him on strike, and if I'm going, he'll try to get me on strike."

New Zealand will play two warm-up games, against India on 25 May and against West Indies on 28 May, prior to their World Cup campaign, which begins on 1 June against Sri Lanka in Cardiff.