All smiles: Black Caps captain Kane Williamson was in a happier frame of mind after a brief discussion with match officials over the state of a ball used in the ODI with Bangladesh.

After reflecting on a calculated match-winning assault on the Bangladeshi bowling attack, Tom Latham was swiftly on the front foot to defend his captain.

Latham, who scored a career-best 137 to help set up the Black Caps' 77-run win in the opening ODI at Christchurch's Hagley Oval on Boxing Day, swiftly shut down suggestions there was a sinister undertone to a discussion between Kane Williamson and Indian umpire Chettithody Shamshuddin, 20 overs into the tourists' forlorn quest for 342.

Williamson was animated and unhappy after Shamshuddin seemed to suggest the ball had deteriorated after the Black Caps captain's assertion that damage was done by advertising hoardings in the first over after opener Tamim Iqbal pulled Trent Boult to the fine leg boundary.

"It hits the hoarding and it scuffs it .... you must be saying something because it happened in the first over."

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Shamshuddin then replied: "I'm not saying anything."

The treatment of match balls has been in focus recently since South Africa captain Faf du Plessis was found guilty of ball tampering during last month's test series in Australia.

Du Plessis was found guilty by match referee Andy Pycroft of changing the condition of the ball after appearing to use saliva tainted by a mint in his mouth to shine it during the second test against Australia in Hobart.

He was fined his entire match fee, had three demerit points added to his record and later lost an appeal against the conviction.

Latham baulked at suggestions ball tampering might have figured in the conversation between Williamson and Shamshuddin.

"Not at all," he said.

"The ball got hit into the advertising hoardings and there was a couple of marks taken out of the ball. They talked to each other and sorted that out."