Kyle Mills: If we back ourselves, we can settle some unfinished business

This will be my last World Cup, writes Kyle Mills. Photo / Greg Bowker

Opinion

Previous World Cups I've played in have left me with a sense of unfinished business from both a team and individual point of view.

I first went to the 2003 tournament in South Africa and Kenya as a youngster and played only one game. It was a great experience, particularly watching Stephen Fleming scoring an impressive hundred against South Africa at a deafening Wanderers, but we missed out on the semifinals because we refused to play in Kenya. If we hadn't refused, who knows how far we could have gone in the tournament, but it was the only decision to make after the threats flying around.

I missed the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies because I needed knee surgery. It was a massive disappointment for me because I felt I could have added something to the team, even though they made it to the semifinals.

For the last World Cup, in India in 2011, I never really got going and came home early after pulling a quad muscle and had to watch another semifinal loss from my couch.

Now 35, this will be my last World Cup. It's been a big motivational factor for me over the past couple of years, particularly as it's at home, and those doubts and frustrations resurfaced when I strained my groin three months ago against Pakistan and had to return from the UAE.

I knew I would be fit in time for the World Cup but feared someone else would take my spot. It was a relief to be named in the squad of 15. The body feels good - although I haven't felt 100 per cent since I was about 16 - and I'm raring to go.

Yesterday's final training was excellent because it was like any final training run before a game. Normally we're told the playing XI or squad of 12 beforehand and it's then up to the individual what they do.

Some bowlers don't like to train at all because they want to be as fresh as possible for a match.

I prefer to have a very light bowl in the middle, maybe a couple of overs from each end so I get used to the feel of the wicket and the conditions.

I might do some fielding and then have a quick bat. If I bat in a game, it's often for only five or 10 balls and I have to do something quite specific. It might mean trying to get a single for the first three balls I face to feed the strike and, after that, look for the boundaries.

Thursday night's opening ceremony reinforced that the tournament has arrived and there will be some nerves this morning.

My message to the guys will be to have clarity in what you do and back yourself. It's too easy to get caught up in the event rather than the next ball and then lose focus. If we keep doing what has been successful, not too much can go wrong -- and we need to trust that.

We don't need to play any differently because it's a World Cup.

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