New Zealand’s Adam Milne admitted he found the T20 World Cup a tough watch from afar but is allowing his cricketing FOMO to fuel his return to the international stage.
The right-arm fast bowler is no stranger to having seasons marred by injury and 2024 was no different, ruled out of New Zealand’s World Cup squad to have surgery on his ankle.
Following a gruelling four months out, Milne is back for a third season with Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred.
And, off the back of his country’s disappointing early exit from the T20 tournament in the USA and West Indies, the 32-year-old is looking to find consistent form and fitness this summer.
“It was tough,” he said. “You always want to be playing World Cups for your country and to have that taken away through injury and not having the chance to be in that team or squad was frustrating.
“But you’ve got to bite your lip, continue, and try and be the best cricketer you can be and take it forward from there.
“I always want to play for New Zealand when I can and when I’m fit but most of the time it’s just about staying injury free and looking after my body.
“I’ve had a lot of time from me taken over the years in terms of games of cricket so I just try to really appreciate the games that I play and do as best as I can.
“There’s always guys like Trent Boult and Kane Williamson, there’s always other guys providing mentorship even to me so it’s nice to be in and around that group and playing, trying to help the team win.”
New Zealand’s all-time leading Test run-scorer Williamson, a year Milne’s senior, opted to turn down a central contract from the NZC in June, subsequently stepping down as white-ball captain.
He cited choosing to pursue overseas opportunities over New Zealand’s domestic T20 Super Smash competition, which contracted player are obliged to take part in.
It came after the Black Caps failed to reach the semi-finals of a T20 or 50-over World Cup since 2014 but Milne insists he is highly encouraged by the next generation.
“It’s Kane’s personal option to do that and you can’t begrudge someone to do that and explore the game in other countries,” he said, speaking at KP Snacks event, who in partnership with England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), committed to installing and refurbishing 100 new non-turf cricket pitches over the next three years focusing on cities and urban areas where facilities might not exist or need refurbishing over three years.
“Even as one of the world’s best players you’re always exploring ways to get better and if it gets better, it’s only good for New Zealand cricket, to bring it back to the New Zealand culture and environment.
“He’s one of the greats of New Zealand cricket but we’ve got some exciting young players like Rachin Ravindra and Will O’Rourke, who wasn’t at the World Cup but is an exciting Test and white ball format player.
“We’re starting to produce a lot of depth in the players which is an exciting prospect going forward.”
KP Snacks is the Official Team Partner of The Hundred. Through their Everyone In campaign, they are on a mission to inspire and enable more families & communities to get more active through cricket and create more opportunities for people to get involved and have a healthier lifestyle through the sport. To find your nearest pitch, head to www.everyonein.co.uk
