Mills aims to flower at ICC WT20

New Zealand’s Kyle Mills is eager to get his teeth into this summer’s ICC World Twenty20 after missing out on the inaugural tournament in 2007.

And the seam bowler believes the Indian Premier League, taking place ahead of June’s event in England, is the ideal training ground for the ICC tournament.

Injury forced the 29-year-old to be a spectator when the event was held in South Africa and he said he was desperate to make amends for that disappointment this year.

And Mills said the Black Caps had a real belief they could lift the silverware at Lord’s after their recent Twenty20 series win over India, the current holders of the ICC World Twenty title.

Mills, speaking exclusively to the ICC, said: “My knee injury kept me out of both the ICC World Cup and the ICC World Twenty in 2007, but I watched the tournament in South Africa, especially the Black Caps matches, and it was great to see the boys get through to the semi-finals.

“I would have liked to have been involved as the tournament looked great with Yuvraj Singh’s six sixes, the crowd which looked like they loved it, and the whole event looked like it had a real buzz.

“I’m sure this summer’s event in England will have just as good crowds as South Africa.

“We toured England last summer and it’s a great place to go. England has traditional grounds which always have good crowds and I’m sure the World Twenty20 will be a great success and hopefully it will be a great success for New Zealand too.”

Mills said the Black Caps had a real chance of doing well in the 12-team tournament. “We’ve got a really strong squad now, perhaps stronger than ever before.

“Previously we have had six or seven high-profile players who have led the squad at an international level, but now we’ve got 14 or 15 players who all have the depth to play internationally across all form of the game.

“I think that, coupled with our recent series win over India, the current ICC World Twenty20 champions, suggests we are in with a good chance this summer to go far in England.

“That’s not to say we have not got a tough group in South Africa and Scotland. I don’t think there’s been a major international cricket event where there hasn’t been an upset to one of the major teams.

“Look at the last World Twenty20 in South Africa when Zimbabwe defeated Australia while in the (ICC Cricket) World Cup Ireland defeated Pakistan.

“The Associate sides like Scotland are definitely not to be underestimated and being in a group with South Africa, one of the powerhouses of the game, is going to be a challenge too.

“The Proteas, along with India, have illustrated that Australia don’t have a stranglehold on the game anymore, so there is a chance for us all to make an impact this year.”

Ahead of the ICC World Twenty20 Mills will be playing alongside South African Jean-Paul Duminy in the IPL for the Mumbai Indians and he said his participation in the tournament, along with many other international players, could only help the ICC World Twenty20 in the long run.

“The ICC World Twenty20 falls just after the IPL season has finished, so all the international players who are taking part in the league will have their mind in Twenty20,” he said.

“It’ll be good for all the teams who’ve got players taking part as those guys will have really had time to practice their Twenty20.

“I’m looking forward to playing alongside people like JP Duminy. I think that way we will have a chance to learn off each other and take things back to our teams on how to raise our games.

“I know when I bowl at him in the nets he’s going to learn about how I work as a player, but at the same time I’m going to be learning about him as a batsman and I can take that back to the New Zealand team.

“I think that by playing on a team of so many varying nationalities in Mumbai it is going to enhance my Twenty20 game and that can only be a good thing for fans watching the ICC World Twenty20 in England. It means we will all be coming with our game plans enhanced by plenty of practice with each other.”

This year will see the ICC World Twenty20 staged alongside the women’s event for the first time and Mills said that could only be a good thing for the game.

“I think putting something like the women’s games on before the men in the semis and final can only be a good thing to help promote women’s cricket and get the fans interested in it,” he said. “Hopefully the world’s media will focus more on the women too.”

And does Mills enjoy the cut and thrust and the pace and power of the shortest form of the game?

“Twenty20 is hard work on us bowlers, but it’s worth the hard work,” he said.

“It has brought crowds into cricket in New Zealand. It’s a form of the game that’s brought new fans, increased kids’ interest and anything that does that for cricket has got to be a good thing.

“I also think what’s great about it is that eight out of 10 times a game will go down to the wire, it really can depend on those final few balls as to who comes away victorious and that’s great.

“It adds to the excitement for us players and it has to be the aim for the crowds.”