Veteran New Zealand paceman Kyle Mills expects Zimbabwe to show a steady improvement in Monday's second one-day cricket international, despite two heavy losses leading into the Whangarei match.
A six-year absence from international cricket was evident in the one-off Test late last month, with New Zealand cruising to an innings and 301-run win in three days.
The first 50-over match in Dunedin last Friday resulted in a 90-run win to the Black Caps, but Mills says he has no doubt Zimbabwe will improve rapidly.
"As the series progresses, both teams get a better read on each other what they're trying to do," he said.
"There's a better understanding of individual strengths and weaknesses. There's no doubt they're going to come back a lot better, harder and stronger, up in Whangarei."
Mills said that while the best team will always win out in five-day Test cricket, the shorter versions of the game were more of a lottery.
"When you get down to one day, it brings both teams back to the pack a little bit and in Twenty20 cricket, it's probably even more so.
"It's important that we stay on our game, because there's no doubt they'll be a lot stronger and mentally prepared for it."
Mills, who has played 131 matches in his decade-long career for the Black Caps, provided the backbone of the New Zealand attack in the first ODI, picking up 3-26 to take his one-day tally to 195.
He was quietly satisfied with his own performance in Dunedin: "I felt like I had good rhythm, I felt like the ball was going in the areas I asked, so I was pretty pleased with my returns."
Mills said it was important New Zealand lift their game going into the last two one-day matches, and the two following Twenty20 matches.
"We executed reasonably well at times but there are definitely areas of improvement."
NZN