Former New Zealand all-rounder Craig McMillan was on Tuesday appointed because the batting and fielding coach of the White Ferns ahead of the Women’s ODI World Cup, which might be collectively hosted by India and Sri Lanka from September 30.
The 48-year-old, who performed 55 Tests and 197 ODIs primarily as a batter scoring greater than 7,500 runs, joins head coach Ben Sawyer on a full-time foundation.
McMillan had earlier been half of the New Zealand girls crew throughout their T20 World Cup triumph in 2024.
“I’m over the moon to be in this role with the White Ferns. The women’s game is going from strength to strength, and I’m excited to continue to work with our talented players and help them reach their goals,” McMillan was quoted as saying by ICC.
“The last year has gone so quickly and I’ve loved every minute of being part of a team that continues to improve, challenge one another, and does special things on the world stage.” The White Ferns have gained the Cricket World Cup as soon as, in 2000, and completed runners-up 3 times.
Several members of the squad travelled to Chennai final month for a coaching camp in a bid to adapt to spin-friendly circumstances.
McMillan stated the crew’s build-up has been good and the White Ferns will go together with the purpose of including to their trophy cupboard, having gained the T20 World Cup final 12 months.
“It’s been a busy period leading into the 50-over World Cup. We’ve had a number of camps including one in Chennai which exposed the players to Indian conditions like what they’ll face in October-November.
“The crew is pumped to get again to India and tackle one other World Cup,” he said.
New Zealand begin their World Cup campaign against Trans-Tasman rivals Australia on October 1 at Indore.
The overall prize money of the eight-team marquee tournament has been increased to $13.88 million (₹122.5 crore approx), a massive jump of 297% from the $3.5 million (₹31 crore approx) at the last edition held in New Zealand in 2022.
