Fresh from a starring role in the Blackcaps' three-wicket victory over England in Hamilton and a crucial contribution of 79, batsman Tom Latham is having a week to remember.

And he'll be hoping it gets even better on Wednesday when New Zealand go head-to-head with the tourists in Mount Maunganui in the second One Day International of the series.

The Cantabrian hit an impressive 79 from 84 deliveries on Sunday, forming a crucial partnership with man of the match Ross Taylor.

In the hours that followed the Waikato win, the 25-year-old was confirmed as the captain of English side Durham ahead of their domestic 50-over competition this year.

As weeks go, his has been memorable for all the right reasons so far – not that Latham is getting carried away.

'It was a wonderful game on Sunday,” said the left-hander. 'It ebbed and flowed a few times, but the guys played some good cricket and it was nice to come out on the right side of the result.

'If that game is anything to go by, it's all set to be a great series, but England are a great side and they'll keep coming at us hard. We'll take a lot of learning from Sunday's game and hopefully hit the ground running tomorrow.

'We know what sort of side England are and the threat they possess. They're a wonderful side and I'm sure they'll be looking to bounce back.

'We have to be ready for that. Sunday showed what kind of series this is going to be and I'm sure the next four games won't be any different.”

Speaking at a ‘Bowl a Blackcap' event involving local school kids in central Tauranga, Latham admitted his knock in Hamilton came at just the right time for New Zealand, with England beginning to turn the screw having posted 284.

'It was nice to make a contribution,” he said. 'In the context of the game we were under a little bit of pressure at 27/3, so it was important to absorb some of that and put the pressure back on England.

'It was very satisfying. Obviously a lot of praise has to go to Ross (Taylor) – he played a fantastic innings and to get 113 in those circumstances was outstanding.

'Even though we lost a couple of wickets towards the end and they had their noses in front, it was nice to return that pressure and come out on the right side.

'It was a nice confidence booster for us heading into the rest of the series.”

Of England's danger men, it's hard to stray too far from Latham's Durham teammate Ben Stokes, who made his return for England on Sunday after missing their recent tour of Australia following a well-publicised police investigation.

His reappearance, along with the imperious form of Joss Buttler, has given the Blackcaps plenty to think about.

'Ben played for Canterbury for a few games at the start of the season and he's the kind of guy that keeps in pretty simple,” says Latham.

'The occasion in Hamilton didn't overawe him at all and it's great to see him back playing international cricket.

'He'll continue to get better and better throughout the series.

'But it's not only about him and Joss – if you look at their whole squad they're a team that doesn't take their foot off your throat. They keep coming at you hard, so it was important that we adapted to that on Sunday and kept to our plan.

'Our bowlers did a great job towards the back end of their innings to restrict them to 284. It was a confidence booster for our bowlers and hopefully we can carry that into the next game.

'Hamilton set up tomorrow's game nicely and sets it up nicely for what will hopefully be a cracking series. They're a quality side who are playing some good cricket, and we're doing the same, so it'll be another good game at the Bay Oval.”

The support of the Bay of Plenty public is not lost on Latham, and as kids from all corners of the region crammed into Tauranga's Red Square to have a pop at bowling on a pop-up pitch, the excitement was palpable.

'Doing things like this is really important,” he said. 'The New Zealand public are great supporters of ours, so it's always nice to get out into the community and give a bit back when we can.

'They support us throughout the year, so it's nice to come down here and see this many kids getting involved in cricket and having fun.

'I haven't spent a huge amount of time in the Bay of Plenty, but the boys that live up here always go on about how it's such a great place, with great weather and beaches.

'The Bay Oval is a lovely ground and we're really looking forward to getting into it tomorrow.”