Both were named to New Zealand’s squad on Tuesday for the Oct. 16-Nov. 13 tournament in Australia, where the Black Caps will look to improve on their finish in the United Arab Emirates last year.
Martin Guptill will be 36 for his seventh T20 World Cup, while Finn Allen, 23, will be hoping for opportunities in his first after thriving in T20 leagues in recent years.
All available players in the Kane Williamson-captained side will participate in the warm-up T20s against Pakistan and Bangladesh, which begin on Oct. 8 in Christchurch.
New Zealand coach Gary Stead indicated the team would experiment with different opening combinations, but Allen does not see the tri-series as a potential bat-off with Guptill at the top of the order.
“It’s not really a fight, I think,” Finn Allen told reporters on Tuesday.
“He’s done it for so long. And he’s got so many accolades in New Zealand. He’s such an incredible player. For me, I’m just grateful for opportunities to be in the squad and to get my chances when I can. I just look at it like that. I try not to put too much pressure on (from) that sort of stuff.”
Guptill was dropped for Allen in New Zealand’s last white ball match, an ODI against Australia in Cairns which the visitors lost by 25 runs.
Allen scored a typically brisk 35 off 38 balls in a half-century opening partnership with Devon Conway, another candidate to open at the World Cup.
Guptill shrugged off his omission from Cairns and sounded far from ready to give up his spot.
“There’s always competition for spots, isn’t there?” Guptill told reporters.
“The pressure goes on everyone to perform. I’m lucky enough to do it for a number of years now. And I want to continue to do it as long as I can.”