Cricket: Dreaming of a Lord's debut

By RICHARD BOOCK

When Kyle Mills manages to get his feet back on the ground he will turn his attention to the possibility of starting his test career at the home of cricket, Lord's.

The surprise feature of the 14-man squad named for the tour of England, the Auckland paceman forced his way in on the back of some solid all-round work with the New Zealand one-day side, and with New Zealand A against Sri Lanka A.

His inclusion was also heavily influenced by the selection of injured fast-bowler Shane Bond, and the fact that allrounders Chris Cairns and Jacob Oram were able to provide quality cover for any possible holes in the batting order.

Mills, who has already played 32 one-day internationals, said he was encouraged by the way the momentum had continued to build for him through the latter half of the season.

The 25-year-old frayed the nerves of his team-mates in the third and fifth ODIs against South Africa when he conceded 21 and 25 runs in the final overs, and needed to survive a last-ball showdown before securing each game.

However, his ability to swing the ball away from the right-hander, not to mention the added bonus of his batting and fielding, saw him brought into the squad for the final test against South Africa.

Although he missed the final cut on that occasion, the call-up demonstrated that coach John Bracewell had him placed high up in the pecking order, something that was confirmed by his selection for the tour of England.

"I'm just on cloud nine," he said yesterday. "Of all the tours, they reckon the English one is the best, so I'm really excited. I love going to England, it's a great culture and they really know how to embrace their cricket."

Mills said the plan now was to throw himself at the tour and try to make the most of whatever chances he received during the three warm-up games, against Combined Universities, Worcestershire and Kent.

Although Shane Bond, Daryl Tuffey and Chris Martin were probably ahead of him at the moment, Mills said he was well aware that he could be in line for the first test if he was able to produce some compelling form.

"I'm definitely getting my opportunities, it's just a matter of taking them when they come. That's what it's about with this team, you have to take your chances, like Chris Martin did."

As it happens, the chance might be closer than Mills appreciates, as Bracewell has already emphasised that the return of Bond was a work in progress, and there was still a strong chance that he would not be risked at Lord's.

For his part, Mills said he was pleased to be going into a team he knew a bit about, having already played with most of his team-mates in the ODI arena.

"I'm pretty used to all the protocols and I know all the guys, so it won't be as if I'm starting from scratch, and that should help.

"My aim is simply to play as well as I can in the lead-up games because the bowlers who stand out the most will be right in the mix for the test."