"I don't worry too much about what other people say. I can show that I can play [at any venue].
"You don't get too many boundaries in New Zealand that are big," argued the right-arm seamer who is capable of extracting express pace, flirting around the 150km/h mark.
Whether coach Mike Hesson and captain Brendon McCullum opt for Milne today in the day-nighter at McLean Park remains to be seen but, needless to say, the bowler is in a good space.
From where he is marking his run-up, if he can tickle the ribcage of first-class batsmen at the postage stamp-sized Pukekura Park, New Plymouth, for his 2014-15 Ford Trophy champions this summer, then why are some people skirting around the boundaries?
"Obviously it's a step up to batsmen who have international class but if I keep improving then any surface will be good."
Amen. It boils down to the old mantra of putting the ball in the right areas to ask pertinent questions of blokes who simply need to push and prod to find edges on wickets in a game veteran bowler Kyle Mills will maintain is designed purely with batsmen in mind.
For Milne, Pakistani batsmen will be fair game on a traditionally "tough and bouncy wicket" he last played on in January last year against India.
"It suits my style of pace and extra bounce," he said, although mindful other fellow Black Caps pacemen are equally adept at "roughing up" the tourists in preparation for the World Cup, starting on February 14 against Sri Lanka in Christchurch.
The significance of how wickets in New Zealand, perhaps more so than Australia, have a mind of their own is best reflected in the knowledge that classy Sri Lanka batsman Kumara Sangakkara recently approached batmaker Rod Laver to tailor his willow to help find a modicum of compatibility with the bounce here.
On the flip side, there's nothing stopping a lumbering two-metre Mohammad Irfan, who can whip a delivery around the ears to the tune of 145km/h, from finding his mojo here despite his relative inexperience in the international arena.
Milne emphasised that Hesson and his stable wanted everyone to be exposed to the elements to ensure they were all capable of stepping up when the need arose.
Ironically, the Pakistanis went after the Kiwi bowler when he was 18 years old and subsequent injuries put him out out for a while, but breaking down is an ever-present risk with fast bowlers.
"It was a long time ago for me. I was pretty raw then as a bowler with just one or two [domestic] matches and a handful of Twenty/20s, so I've played a lot of first-class matches since then," he said.
For the record, Milne is over his side strain and "100 per cent" in his element.
He said players such as Pakistan allrounder Sahid Afridi had to be bracketed in purely on their bolshy approach to batting, prompting any opposition to adopt a mindset of damage control.
"He's one of those guys who will try to play his shots and everyone knows that," Milne said, adding taking his scalp early was on the agenda.
He lauded CD teammates for winning the Ford Trophy on Sunday, although he hadn't seen it live on TV but had seen the highlights later.
"It's really pleasing to see the boys get up for that game," he said of the 78-run victory over the Auckland Aces in the Big Smoke.
Milne's footballing brother Fin was also playing in Napier, scoring a goal for Hawke's Bay United in their 3-1 victory.
"He doesn't get too many [goals], so he takes whatever he gets," he said with a laugh.
