Pakistan vs New Zealand: Craig McMillan banks on IPL experience for his batsmen to come good

Pakistan and New Zealand are all set to battle it out in the three-match T20I series starting from October 31. The way the Men in Green are currently playing in the shortest format, it is not going to be easy for the touring side to go past them. However, New Zealand’s batting coach Craig McMillan is hoping that their experience of playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) will help them largely during the series.

Most of the Kiwi players ply their trade in the cash-rich tournament while Kane Williamson was in the form of his life earlier this year leading the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). He will remain key to his side if they are to even compete against the World number1 T20I side. Pakistan had beaten the Blackcaps in their own den as well in January this year and the visitors will be keen to take the revenge.

There is nothing better

Craig McMillan, while speaking to ESPN Cricinfo, highlighted how beneficial it is to play in the IPL for New Zealand’s batsmen. Having said that, he didn’t deny the fact that beating Pakistan won’t be an easy job by any stretch of the imagination.

“We’ve had a lot of players playing in different franchise competitions around the world from the CPL to the IPL to the NatWest over in England. So we’ve got a fair bit of experience. There’s nothing better than playing in those competitions. We know Pakistan are a very strong side; No. 1 in the world at the moment. Very hard to beat in home conditions,” he said..

McMillan believed that it is important for both batsmen and the bowlers to get accustomed to the conditions as soon as possible as they face different set of challenges. Playing in the UAE could be very draining which is why the former Kiwi batter feels that the players should sweat themselves more in the lead up to the matches.

“There are different challenges for batsmen and bowlers in hot conditions and that’s one of the things the guys have to get right when they’re on the field, in terms of fluid intake, making sure they’ve got those energy levels up, because it does sap it out of you when it’s 35-40 C. That’s why it’s important just to get out, get them sweating, get them working in the field, so that come Wednesday night, we’re ready to rock and roll,” the 42-year-old added.

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