Craig McMillan
has been named New Zealand's batting coach for the upcoming tour of the
West Indies. In April the position was vacated by Bob Carter, who quit
to take up a high-performance role in New Zealand's setup, and although
McMillan's appointment is temporary at this stage, he could earn the job
full-time if he impresses on the Caribbean tour.
McMillan, 37, played 55 Tests and 197 one-day internationals for New
Zealand between 1997 and 2007, and since his retirement has worked in
both commentary and coaching. He was the batting coach for Canterbury
when they won the Plunket Shield last season and worked with New Zealand
during the Wellington Test against West Indies in December when Carter
was absent.
"It's a career path I'm looking forward to pursuing," McMillan told the Dominion Post
this week. "I really enjoyed those few days and that's part of the
reason why I applied. It's a great group of guys with a strong work
ethic and they want to improve."
Lindsay Crocker, the head of cricket with NZC, said McMillan was the
right man for the job. "We had a number of strong applicants from New
Zealand and abroad, but overall we felt that Craig was the best fit for
the role," Crocker said.
"Apart from being a former player himself, Craig's worked with
Canterbury Cricket and also spent some time in the Black Caps' camp. His
commentary work has also given him extensive knowledge of both the
Black Caps and West Indies squads and those qualities placed him ahead
of the other candidates."
A full-time batting coach will be named after the end of the West Indies
tour. New Zealand fly to the Caribbean in late May for three Tests and
two Twenty20 internationals.
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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