Storm in a teacup, that's all it was.
"It was just a big deal out of nothing," Black Caps allrounder Doug Bracewell said last night, not long after arriving in Napier from the West Indies tour.
Television zoomed in on the Central Districts Stags player as he ran his fingernails on the ball, bracketed firmly against his right thigh in the second day of the first test in Antigua late last month.
Bracewell then raked one side of the ball with his index finger, before grasping it in claw-like fashion, only to prompt Australian umpire Paul Reiffel to demand an inspection of the leather projectile.
"The ball was only about four overs old.
"It had a big scuff mark on one side and I was trying to take the peel off coming out from it. I wasn't even thinking about it," said the seamer who turns 22 next month.
Nothing further had transpired on the issue from the officials.
While the tour was a disappointing one - a 2-0 series defeat in the test matches, the Twenty20 series by the same margin and the one-day internationals 4-1 - Bracewell said the New Zealanders performed well with the ball.
"The bowlers did a pretty good job on batter-friendly wickets and worked together pretty well to keep the totals low."
The Taradale Cricket Club member felt the Black Caps would do well in India provided they replicate their efforts in the Caribbean and stuck to the game plan.
He echoed the sentiments of outgoing coach John Wright for the top-order batsman to show uncompromising mental fortitude, with the dogged determination to dig their heels in at the crease for healthy totals.
Wright urged players to ruthlessly analyse their performances and adopt peer pressure to improve their statistics and the team's world ranking.
Former Otago Volts and Kenya coach Mike Hesson assumes the mantle of Black Caps coach before the New Zealand team embark on a two-test match and two T20 series tour of India on Friday next week.
Hesson has employed the services of former Canterbury Wizards coach Bob Carter, 52, as his assistant.
"I want to contribute to the team as a batsman down the order," Bracewell said, adding he hadn't done enough to demand promotion in the pecking order.
The youngster packs an aggressive approach with the bat, akin to his bowling mindset, and will be an asset at the T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka from next month.
"We're getting starts but not kicking on, so if we do that we'll do well in India," he said, bereft of ideas on what was plaguing the specialist batsmen.
"I'm not too sure. It's pretty tough, but the guys need to be out there for long periods of time.
"Maybe we need to spend a longer time in the nets but they have to figure it out for themselves."
He felt the Caps needed to find out what type of game suited them best.
"It's tough being away from home so we'll need to work hard and play as a team to win."
New Zealand's place in the world order isn't too healthy as Bangladesh threaten to eclipse them in ODIs and T20s.
The Windies have pushed New Zealand into eighth place on the ODI ladder as the New Zealanders cling to the seventh rung on the T20 ladder.
In the abbreviated forms of the game, Bangladesh are nipping on the Black Caps' heels.
The only consolation for Kiwi fans is that Australia have slumped behind the Black Caps and Bangladesh in T20.
For the first time in almost three years, Australia are no longer top dogs in ODIs. They have dropped to fourth on the ladder - their lowest ranking since the ODI table was launched in 2002.
The purists may argue a team's slump in form in T20s is often a good indicator they are improving in the longer version.
Compounding New Zealand's poor batting is the unavailability of veteran spinner Daniel Vettori, whose inclusion to the Caribbean tour deprived CD Stag legspinner Tarun Nethula of game time in the test arena.
An injured Vettori returned home before the second test and may be in doubt for the Indian tour.
It'll be interesting to see if Nethula, who trained in India just before the tour, makes his test debut on subcontinent wickets that can offer tweakers some traction.
Having said that, Indian batsmen are also more adept at playing spin.
Former Black Cap Jeetan Patel, having a successful stint in English county cricket, has been called into the squad as a back-up.
Nethula was good enough to play, Bracewell said, also welcoming the return of Patel, who Vettori also kept on drinks duty.
"We never go in as favourites. We like to be underdogs because it makes us more competitive," he said of their status in the world rankings.
Bracewell will rest today before resuming training tomorrow.