KEY POINTS:
Kyle Mills appreciates the concept of going from famine to feast after his late call up for the first cricket test stalemate with the West Indies in Dunedin.
The swing bowler's career looks to be on the ascendancy again after being summoned to University Oval as a replacement for a fragile Jacob Oram.
He celebrated his recall with a solid spell primarily into the wind as New Zealand opened their home programme with a rain-affected draw - the last day washed out yesterday.
While James Franklin made his first test appearance for almost two years, Mills also had cause for celebration less than a month after he was devastated to be cut from the test squad touring Australia.
Told he would not figure on a green, seaming wicket in Brisbane was a demoralising blow for the Aucklander, who had played in eight of New Zealand's tests in 2008 before his shock omission.
A day later he found himself playing against Wellington in the domestic four-day competition while club cricket was also on his schedule as New Zealand were mauled at The Gabba and Adelaide Oval.
Mills, who took three for 64 from 24 overs in his return, admitted he took his early flight home from across the Tasman hard.
"It happened really quickly. I was over there and training hard and getting ready for the test and all of a sudden I was on the plane home and playing against Wellington the next day.
"One minute you're on a test tour of England and Australia, and then you come home and play for Auckland and then club cricket at Michaels Ave where there's no food or drink at the ground.
"It was definitely a reality check, that's where cricket is a great leveller I guess. It put things in perspective."
Mills' mood was hardly enhanced when he had to run in on of the lifeless wicket at Eden Park's outer oval against Wellington and then the potent West Indies top order.
"To miss out at the Gabba was tough to take at the time because it was swinging conditions and ideal conditions for my style of bowling.
"Then I came back to Auckland to bowl on a very flat wicket where there was close to 2000 runs scored."
The right-armer toiled away though, finishing with respectable figures in both outings considering the mountain of runs scored.
He took none for 58 from 32 overs in the first innings one for 58 off 24 in the second.
Mills was expecting another exercise in futility on his home ground against Otago when he was advised on Wednesday that Oram had suffered a calf strain and was in doubt.
"To get the call out of the blue like that was just huge," Mills said.
The 29-year-old could not get south soon enough.
Oram was ruled out and, as an added bonus, a crack on ribs for James Franklin saw Mills share the new ball when the West Indies replied to New Zealand's 365 on Saturday.
He came in for a bit of tap when centurion Jerome Taylor flayed the second new ball on Sunday afternoon but otherwise maintained a tight line through a performance that should see him retained for the second test in Napier starting on Friday, even if Oram is fit.
Oram will play as a batsman only so Mills should survive any cull to accommodate New Zealand's hard-hitting allrounder.
Mills claimed the wickets of opener Sewnarine Chattergoon, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Australian-born debutant Brendan Nash.
His battle with Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who scored 76, proved the most taxing despite Taylor's pyrotechnics.
The West Indies' key batsman, Chanderpaul is a difficult proposition as he faces the bowler square on before swivelling as the ball is released.
"It's really unusual running in. You have to pick your spot before you bowl the ball, half way through your run up, because it can be off putting when he's looking straight at you."
Mills' stuck to a plan of using wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum as a reference point.
"I got myself into a mode of trying to bowl through to Brendon. I felt if I was bowling through to him and the ball nips either in or out on that line then I'm in with a chance."
- NZPA
