Cricket: Changing natural order

Kyle Mills

Kyle Mills has served notice on his team-mates that he intends to push for more batting responsibility.

One of the few New Zealand players to return from the tour of Australia with an enhanced reputation, Mills has come out of the closet as a would-be batting all-rounder, and believes his career is likely to develop further in that direction.

The comments came after the 25-year-old Aucklander made a favourable impression with the bat during the recent first test at Brisbane and the second one-day international at Sydney.

Australian great Greg Chappell described the tail-ender as one of New Zealand's most technically adept batsmen at the Gabba, and Mills further demonstrated his worth while smashing four consecutive sixes in his unbeaten 44 at the SCG.

Mills, a batsman until he began experimenting with the ball as a 17-year-old, said he was keen to develop the run-scoring side of his game further, and believed he had the background to make it work.

"I've always considered myself a batsman," he said yesterday. "I've always had aspirations about scoring a test hundred.

"But with the strength of the New Zealand batting line-up the opportunities down the order have been few and far between. It's hard to be promoted up the order in a team like ours."

While in previous eras Mills' batting skills might have been squandered as he concentrated on his bowling duties, under coach John Bracewell he's been encouraged to maintain his interest.

The pair have worked particularly hard with one-on-one sessions over the past couple of months, with Bracewell emphasising to Mills the mental aspects of the craft, and the psychology behind good batting.

"I'd love to be a batting all-rounder, it's just that there's not many opportunities due to the strength of the New Zealand middle and lower order," he said.

"But Braces has restored a lot of my faith in my batting. He's constantly encouraged me, and I'm anxious to use every chance I get to strengthen my case as a batsman."

Mills' success in Australia couldn't have come at a better time for either him or Bracewell, who was under fire for continuing to pick a player who had shown only sporadic international form.

The spring-haired right-armer was part of a largely dysfunctional New Zealand attack at Brisbane, was dropped for the second test at Adelaide, and took some heavy punishment at the start of the ODIs at Melbourne and Sydney.

The irony of Chris Harris' shoulder injury at the SCG was not lost on Mills, who was probably not going to bowl again in the game after being taken apart by Adam Gilchrist in the opening stanzas.

However, with Harris out of action, Mills was given another chance and responded magnificently, deceiving the well-established Ricky Ponting and beginning a collapse that provided New Zealand with a slender chance of winning.

Mills said the biggest point he took from the experience was the knowledge that he could play at the highest level, and that he had what it took to be successful against the best players in the world.

"I guess I emerged from that experience with a greater sense of self-belief," he said. "The next step is to be able to turn it on under pressure and when there's a genuine expectation in my batting. I think that's the biggest thing I took out of the tour - the belief that I could make a difference."

However, the realisation didn't come without a struggle, and Mills still remembers vividly the abuse and sledging he was forced to accept while fielding on the boundaries at Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.

Australian crowds are not known for their manners when passing judgment on touring players, as Sir Richard Hadlee so indignantly noted after being subjected to a "Hadlee is a Wanker" chant during the mid 1980s.

Stephen Fleming was horribly abused by a lone spectator after falling in the first innings at Brisbane, and Mills said he received similar treatment wherever he fielded throughout the tour.

"It's a pretty tough school, fielding on the boundary over there," he said.

"I'd actually like the New Zealand public to make a bit of a statement when the Aussies play over here, because we copped a lot of abuse over there.

"Most of it was good natured I suppose, although you do get your fair share of idiots and nasties. Some of it can be pretty rough, that's for sure.

"It's best to not get involved because you're in a no-win situation with the crowd. You can either play along with them and try to humour them, or you can completely ignore it. I try to ignore it."

Mills said the experience of competing at international level had undoubtedly improved his resilience under pressure, and had taught him to retain a sense of perspective in terms of success and failure.

He came under heavy fire last summer after proving an expensive bowling option at the death, and was eventually put in contact with former All Black goal-kicker Grant Fox, in a bid to improve his composure.

A further year in the game had taught him to be more philosophical about the ups and downs. "I realise now that there's no point in dwelling on the setbacks, that it's far more important to look forward and to prepare for the next challenge."