New Delhi: Ahead of the Women’s T20 World Cup starting on October 3 in the UAE, former New Zealand men’s all-rounder Craig McMillan said he is keen to impart all his knowledge of playing in global tournaments to the Sophie Devine-led side.
McMillan, currently the assistant coach with the New Zealand women’s side, made 260 international appearances for the men’s team, including playing in three ODI World Cups and the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup in South Africa in 2007.
“I was lucky enough to go to four white-ball World Cups as a player and three as batting coach at the Black Caps, so I have a lot of experience in terms of World Cups. They’re different beasts, it’s a tournament sort of format, so it’s different to a normal tour.”
“I’ll certainly be using that knowledge and passing that on to the group where needed. World Cups are high pressure tournaments where a fast start is important, but they’re also a lot of fun, so I am looking forward to being part of the World Cup with this group,” said McMillan to ICC Digital from Lincoln, where the White Ferns are preparing for the mega event.
New Zealand will play the T20 World Cup with a largely experienced squad, with captain Sophie Devine and Suzie Bates set to play the tournament for the ninth time. Barring Izzy Gaze, every player in the team has played a T20 World Cup previously. New Zealand are in Group A alongside defending champions Australia, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
“I’ve loved being back in coaching again, and the girls have been very welcoming and receptive to me. It’s been a lot of fun, I am enjoying working with the players and also the coaches, (head coach) Ben Sawyer and (assistant coach) Dean Brownlee. Everyone’s working pretty hard on improving their games at the moment,” added McMillan.
He also feels the likes of Izzy, Georgia Plimmer, Eden Carson, and Fran Jonas have the perfect platform in the T20 World Cup to showcase their skills at the highest level. “One of the great things about World Cups is the chance to show how good you are on the world stage.”
“We have a number of players that started their international careers young, but have been on the team for a few years now and they’ve shown glimpses of their potential that they possess. So I think this World Cup is a great opportunity for them to show that on the world stage and I know one that all the players are excited by,” he concluded.
–IANS
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