After a busy summer of cricket it’s fair to say that the BLACKCAPS were due a decent break. Sure enough a three month gap in the international calendar gave them just that, but now they’re looking forward to getting back into action.
Don’t be mistaken for thinking their time off has been lying on a beach somewhere though. Many have used the time to give their body time to recover as well as make tweaks to their game.
Fast bowler Kyle Mills acknowledges that whenever he’s not playing he still keeps an eye on upcoming tours and starts getting prepared early.
“Yeah, it’s come up pretty quickly to tell the truth,” Mills admitted.
“In the off season I’ve been doing a lot of rehab, a lot of work on my game and the last four weeks has come around pretty quickly, but I’ve really been looking forward to it.
“I’ve really concentrated on a few slower balls, because from my understanding over in the West Indies they’re going to be low slow wickets.”
While the players have a fair idea about what conditions to expect in the West Indies, they may be less prepared for what to expect in their two Twenty20 matches in Miami Florida.
Many of the team played on the same surface two years ago, with the wicket proving to be a tough surface for the batsmen.
Even as a bowler Mill is hopeful that the pitch has flattened out a bit, pointing out the importance of putting on an entertaining performance for the crowd.
“The wicket wasn’t the best (in 2010). It was a slow wicket and it wasn’t a very high scoring game,” Mills said.
“They think it’s going to be a bouncier wicket this time, which I’m sure will bode well for the batsmen.
“It’s a great opportunity for New Zealand to showcase the game of cricket in a foreign country where there’s massive potential for the game to grow.”
Whatever the pitch proves to be like, the BLACKCAPS will be desperate, as will the West Indies, to get the edge over their opponents early on.
Mills is all too aware of how important it will be to start the series well.
“We need to be ready from ball one.”
The first opportunity for the BLACKCAPS to make a statement comes June 30th.
At least we know they’re ready.
