Mike Hesson and Martin Guptill talk a lot about test cricket, but talk doesn't get you back in the team.

Out for four weeks with dual hamstring injuries, Guptill made a stunning return to the crease in Hamilton on Wednesday night, blasting 180 not out from 138 balls to send New Zealand's five-match one-day international series against South Africa to a decider.

Despite the record-breaking display, the highest for New Zealand in a 50-over chase and his third of 180 or more in ODIs, all those hoping to see the powerful right-hander's name when the test squad is named on Friday can expect to be disappointed.

PHOTOSPORT Martin Guptill celebrates his century in Hamilton.

Kiwi coach Hesson confirmed on Thursday that Guptill would not be in the fold for the three match series against the Proteas.

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The former indicated there was more than one reason for the decision, one of which involved looking differently at how the latter could fit into the test line-up.

GETTY IMAGES Martin Guptill is congratulated by David Miller after he guided the Black Caps to their ODI win in Hamilton. The South Africans won't be sorry to see him missing from the New Zealand test ranks.

"Martin and I have talked about test cricket a lot and we certainly gave batting at top of order fairly good crack," Hesson said.

"Batting him in the middle-order is something we are keen to explore at first-class level first and Martin and Auckland Cricket have certainly been receptive to that.

"At the moment it's difficult to find a spot for him. Our test team have just won four on the bounce and the middle-order is performing pretty well."

A quick glimpse into the past is all it takes to see why national selectors Hesson and Gavin Larsen have opted to keep Guptill out of their team in the longest format.

The 30-year-old's inability to transfer an impressive and destructive white-ball record into the red-ball arena remains this New Zealand team's greatest unsolved mystery.

Guptill has 12 centuries and averages 43.98 from 142 ODIs, while in 61 T20 internationals he averages 34.73 at a strike-rate of 131.

The swinging and seaming red ball have proved much harder to deal with.

An average of only 29.38 and only three tons in 89 innings simply doesn't cut it as a test opening batsman and his latest demotion was easy to see coming.

The bad run set in on the tour of South Africa in August last year, where Guptill made seven, eight and a duck.

Hesson and Larsen stuck with him for the much-anticipated tour of India in September and October but Guptill was unable to stop the rot, making 159 runs from six innings at an average of 26.50.

A fighting 72 in the first innings of the third game, his first half-century in nine test match innings, could not prevent him being dropped when Pakistan arrived on Kiwi shores in November.

Guptill could play up to four Plunket Shield four day matches for Auckland before the end of the domestic this season.

But with the South African series New Zealand's last tests for several months, it will be until at least the end of year before a test re-call is in the offing.

The only thing for sure, after Wednesday night's sublime showing, is Martin Guptill's place in white-ball international cricket is definitely not in doubt.

"It was as good as it gets really," Hesson said.

"In terms of the quality of ball striking on a tough surface against such quality opposition, and the pressure of match as well.

"There were some very good players playing in that game and very few were able to time the ball as consistently as Martin did.

"He is really confident in his game and has reached a level of maturity where he is consistent in how he prepares and doesn't ride the highs and lows often young players do."

Making that a reality in five-day cricket is all that remains.