Cricket: Stopping boundaries not exceeding them is Mills’ priority

Kyle Mills' ability to clear the ropes has earned the New Zealand swing bowler instant recognition as a cricket all-rounder, though he would prefer the kudos was associated with an ability to stop boundaries.

Mills made Chris Cairns look positively pedestrian as he hit 24 in four balls as the Black Caps gave Australia a scare before the world champions won Wednesday night's one-day match by 17 runs at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

While happy to score an unbeaten 44 off 26 balls batting at No 10, Mills hopes today's Chappell-Hadlee Trophy decider at The Gabba sees him prevent Adam Gilchrist from creating similar carnage for a third time in the series.

Gilchrist has single-handedly ignited Australia's rocketing starts at the Telstra Dome and the SCG - and Mills has provided much of the fuel.

His opening four over new ball spells have cost 28 and 29 but the Aucklander, when given another shot on Wednesday helped orchestrate Australia's middle order slump by claiming the wickets of Ricky Ponting and Damien Martyn.

Those scalps gave Mills as much satisfaction as his four sixes because, as he pointed out, his main priority is to bowl.

"The last two games I haven't started off too well at the top of the innings and that's why I've been picked in the side for to take early wickets and not go for as many runs.

"That's why I'm in the team and that's a huge area I have to work on."

Mills will get another chance, weather permitting, at The Gabba where he took his first test wicket - Matthew Hayden - last month.

Hayden had not been so easy to budge since, with Mills having two concerted leg before wicket shouts denied in the early stages of games one and two.

Mills' ability to regroup at the SCG -- his next six overs overs yielded two wickets for 20 runs - impressed coach John Bracewell.

"I thought Kyle came back brilliantly in the middle after his disappointment in the first four overs," he said, before lauding Mills' batting a breakthrough innings.

"There's a great sense of relief that Kyle performed with the bat to the level we knew we had in him.

"People outside (the team) had questioned that ability to a point where Kyle has questioned it himself.

"It was a huge step forward for him as a genuine, capable all-rounder."

"He's a talented player, he's starting to emerge and starting to grow and we want to nurture that."

Mills showed a glimpse of his batting potential at The Gabba, where he scored a composed 29 while supporting Jacob Oram as the Black Caps enjoyed a rare session of dominance over Australia.

Ponting admitted Mills showed talent in his second test but was not expecting an assault of that magnitude.

"I didn't expect him to strike at as well as he did," said Ponting who admitted he was worried the 22-year-old had turned the game.

"He cleared the fence on a few occasions, there's not much you can do about that.

"He might be being a bit modest about his own batting ability, he certainly did play well."

Ponting also has worries about his own batting - and that of the middle order.

He has gone 26 one-day matches and 16 test innings without a century in the pivotal No 3 spot.

"We talk about someone going on and getting a big score but we haven't done it.

"The top three in both games have got off to decent starts and haven't gone on with it.

"Losing wickets in bundles is a problem."

Meanwhile, Bracewell said his side would be ready for whatever pitch and elements confronted them today.

The wicket is likely to be under-prepared due to wet weather, which is expected to continue throughout the match.

"We left the (SCG) dressing room with a sense of steel," he said.

All-rounder Chris Harris agreed there was a mood of quiet determination as he left the squad to have his shoulder injury assessed.

He will watch the game in Christchurch with a pang of regret.

"I'd have loved to be there. Wednesday could be a good character builder for the guys.

"It just shows if we hang in there for long enough we give ourselves every chance of winning the game."

- NZPA