September 5, 2025 • 5 mins
Craig McMillan is signing on to the White Ferns fulltime.
The former Black Cap had been a part-time assistant coach for the last year, but has now taken up the role of batting and fielding coach full time.
He joined Lesley Murdoch for a chat about the role and the upcoming World Cup.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well, good news during the week too from New Zealand
Cricket that they have given a full time contract to
White Fuan's assistant coach, and of course he wasn't a
legend himself as a cricketer, had lots of coaching experience.
Craig McMillan is a full time assistant coach to the
White Ferns and he joins us good morning, Congratulations.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Morning, Leslie, thanks very much. You over the moon with
the appointment. You're just so like that I'm able to
work with the talented female cricket players that we have
in this country, so really looking forward to it.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Well we are too, because you've been with them. Was
it June last year, twenty twenty.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Four, Yeah, just over a year now, part time in
a part time role. But I've really enjoyed my time
with the girls. That have been most welcoming and we've
had a bit of successful which always helps as well,
so it's been great.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
It's almost like you're the lucky charm.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
I don't know about that, Leslie, but what we are,
I mean, the White Fans are very lucky with the
coaching staff they've dot with head coach Ben Sawyer. Embedding
coach Dean Brownley had done an excellent job over the
last few years. It's great to see the resources coming
into the women's game because that's what they deserve, that's
what they need. And you know, we're not far off.
We're only just a couple of weeks away from heating
over to a fifty over World Cup in India. So
(01:10):
exciting times ahead.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
Indeed, it is. And so the preparation for that tell
us a little bit about that.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
Well, it's been busy winter for the girls. I've had
tough fitness programs over the winter because, as you know,
playing in the heats in India it can be really
taxing on the body. So the girls have worked really
hard on those programs throughout the winter. There's been a
fair bit of cricket for a number of them in
different competitions around the world, and there's been in New
Year and a two to England where a number of
the girls went on as well. So they worked really
(01:38):
hard on their skill set and also their fitness and
all those things and getting very professional about how they
go about things. World Cups are special, aren't they They're
exciting times, are great competitions, and I know that this
group are really looking forward to it.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
Well. I did love was hearing about how that. I
think there was a group of ten players winter India
for that camp. I thought that was fantastic, some experience
in the Indian condition.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
Yeah, it was so good that ten or twelve days
we spent over there. Leslie was just about exposing the
girls to different conditions, conditions that quite often they haven't
come across yet. In terms of the ball turning, it
was mainly a batting focus camp and facing spinners and
getting used to the bull turning, a foot that you
just don't get in New Zealand you don't really get
anywhere else. We had ten to twelve days over there
(02:22):
where the girls learnt a lot, practiced hard, and hopefully
some of those things that we put into practice a
couple of weeks ago will be used during the World
Cup at different times.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
Now the different areas that you're going into because it
has kind of been played all over the place, isn't
it the top half of India, Sri Lanka as well.
I note in the Punjabi area they've got floods at
the moment. Are you keeping an eye on the weather?
Speaker 2 (02:43):
I haven't had a close look at the moment, Leslie.
But it's fair to say there's a fair amount of travel,
isn't there Because we have two games in Colombo and
Sri Lanka against Sri Lanka and also Pakistan, so and
we fly south of India, we go to the far north.
Good Jurratt watches up above Bangladesh. So there's a fair
amount of travel. But there's some exciting venues and I
(03:05):
just know the excitement within the camp that the girls
are really looking forward to a fifty over World Cup watch.
I love One day International. I love fifty over cricket,
I really do. It gives you a chance with bats
and with ball, just to have spend a little bit
more time working through a plan, working through a game
plan with the bat. It's not quite so has a
mess as you can sometimes get into twenty cricket, but
(03:25):
fifty over cricket allows you a little bit more time,
which I really.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
Love for the women to have their straps on a
consistent basis. It's still going to take a bit of
time right and get there underneath nice and deep as well.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
Yeah, absolutely, And that's a key point is actually building
the depths within the women's game and I think we're
starting to see that a little bit with the White
Ferns in terms of, you know, if someone gets injured,
we've got a replacement who can come in and perform
from the start. But certainly underneath this group there needs
to be more work in that development area. So in
saying that, Leslie, there's a lot of talented young girls
(03:59):
that are going to be very good cricketers in coming years,
but they do need some time. That's what they need.
They need time and coaching over the next week while
just to get up to speed. I'm really excited when
I look around the country at the talented youngsters that
are interested in wanting to play cricket, and I think
that's going to serve the White friends well.
Speaker 1 (04:16):
In news to come, the news that there's going to
be a dedicated under seventeen tournaments other girls, they've always
run an unofficial one right down your alley, isn't it.
And what you're talking.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
About, you know, at the age of sixteen seventeen, you're
starting to see that natural talent come out, So you
want to actually be able to identify and perhaps those
young girls at that age in three or four years time,
they might be playing provincial they might be playing, but
good enough for the White friends. You just never know.
You look at the white friends side, as you know,
there's been a number of girls that have been in
there from an early age. You look at Izzy Gauge,
(04:48):
you look at Georgia Plummer, you look at fran Jonas.
So it's not unrealistic to think that there's a number
of girls that will plan in their under seventeen tournament
that in three or four years time could well be
playing for the White fans.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
You do need to get some time away from the game.
How's your golf going?
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Golf's very poor coaching is taking me away from golf
for the last three whiles. So every now and then
I find a couple of hours to get out for her.
It's obviously something that I really enjoyed, but I can't
crow too much about my golf game. Leslie hasn't been
flesh at all.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
Happy Father's Day anyway. I know you're a great dad.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
Thank you very much. No, yeah, it's a big day
for the dad's out there, so I hope and you
run he has a good day.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
Craig McMillan, thanks so much for joining us. Can't wait
to hear who is in that White Fund's World Cup squad.
It will be revealed on Wednesday. Looking forward to it, yep,
we'll do.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
Thanks for your time, Leslie, appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
For more from News Talk sed B, listen live on
air or online, and
Speaker 2 (05:40):
Keep our shows with you wherever you go with our
podcast on iHeartRadio
Well, good news during the week too from New Zealand
Cricket that they have given a full time contract to
White Fuan's assistant coach, and of course he wasn't a
legend himself as a cricketer, had lots of coaching experience.
Craig McMillan is a full time assistant coach to the
White Ferns and he joins us good morning, Congratulations.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Morning, Leslie, thanks very much. You over the moon with
the appointment. You're just so like that I'm able to
work with the talented female cricket players that we have
in this country, so really looking forward to it.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Well we are too, because you've been with them. Was
it June last year, twenty twenty.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Four, Yeah, just over a year now, part time in
a part time role. But I've really enjoyed my time
with the girls. That have been most welcoming and we've
had a bit of successful which always helps as well,
so it's been great.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
It's almost like you're the lucky charm.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
I don't know about that, Leslie, but what we are,
I mean, the White Fans are very lucky with the
coaching staff they've dot with head coach Ben Sawyer. Embedding
coach Dean Brownley had done an excellent job over the
last few years. It's great to see the resources coming
into the women's game because that's what they deserve, that's
what they need. And you know, we're not far off.
We're only just a couple of weeks away from heating
over to a fifty over World Cup in India. So
(01:10):
exciting times ahead.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
Indeed, it is. And so the preparation for that tell
us a little bit about that.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
Well, it's been busy winter for the girls. I've had
tough fitness programs over the winter because, as you know,
playing in the heats in India it can be really
taxing on the body. So the girls have worked really
hard on those programs throughout the winter. There's been a
fair bit of cricket for a number of them in
different competitions around the world, and there's been in New
Year and a two to England where a number of
the girls went on as well. So they worked really
(01:38):
hard on their skill set and also their fitness and
all those things and getting very professional about how they
go about things. World Cups are special, aren't they They're
exciting times, are great competitions, and I know that this
group are really looking forward to it.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
Well. I did love was hearing about how that. I
think there was a group of ten players winter India
for that camp. I thought that was fantastic, some experience
in the Indian condition.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
Yeah, it was so good that ten or twelve days
we spent over there. Leslie was just about exposing the
girls to different conditions, conditions that quite often they haven't
come across yet. In terms of the ball turning, it
was mainly a batting focus camp and facing spinners and
getting used to the bull turning, a foot that you
just don't get in New Zealand you don't really get
anywhere else. We had ten to twelve days over there
(02:22):
where the girls learnt a lot, practiced hard, and hopefully
some of those things that we put into practice a
couple of weeks ago will be used during the World
Cup at different times.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
Now the different areas that you're going into because it
has kind of been played all over the place, isn't
it the top half of India, Sri Lanka as well.
I note in the Punjabi area they've got floods at
the moment. Are you keeping an eye on the weather?
Speaker 2 (02:43):
I haven't had a close look at the moment, Leslie.
But it's fair to say there's a fair amount of travel,
isn't there Because we have two games in Colombo and
Sri Lanka against Sri Lanka and also Pakistan, so and
we fly south of India, we go to the far north.
Good Jurratt watches up above Bangladesh. So there's a fair
amount of travel. But there's some exciting venues and I
(03:05):
just know the excitement within the camp that the girls
are really looking forward to a fifty over World Cup watch.
I love One day International. I love fifty over cricket,
I really do. It gives you a chance with bats
and with ball, just to have spend a little bit
more time working through a plan, working through a game
plan with the bat. It's not quite so has a
mess as you can sometimes get into twenty cricket, but
(03:25):
fifty over cricket allows you a little bit more time,
which I really.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
Love for the women to have their straps on a
consistent basis. It's still going to take a bit of
time right and get there underneath nice and deep as well.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
Yeah, absolutely, And that's a key point is actually building
the depths within the women's game and I think we're
starting to see that a little bit with the White
Ferns in terms of, you know, if someone gets injured,
we've got a replacement who can come in and perform
from the start. But certainly underneath this group there needs
to be more work in that development area. So in
saying that, Leslie, there's a lot of talented young girls
(03:59):
that are going to be very good cricketers in coming years,
but they do need some time. That's what they need.
They need time and coaching over the next week while
just to get up to speed. I'm really excited when
I look around the country at the talented youngsters that
are interested in wanting to play cricket, and I think
that's going to serve the White friends well.
Speaker 1 (04:16):
In news to come, the news that there's going to
be a dedicated under seventeen tournaments other girls, they've always
run an unofficial one right down your alley, isn't it.
And what you're talking.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
About, you know, at the age of sixteen seventeen, you're
starting to see that natural talent come out, So you
want to actually be able to identify and perhaps those
young girls at that age in three or four years time,
they might be playing provincial they might be playing, but
good enough for the White friends. You just never know.
You look at the white friends side, as you know,
there's been a number of girls that have been in
there from an early age. You look at Izzy Gauge,
(04:48):
you look at Georgia Plummer, you look at fran Jonas.
So it's not unrealistic to think that there's a number
of girls that will plan in their under seventeen tournament
that in three or four years time could well be
playing for the White fans.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
You do need to get some time away from the game.
How's your golf going?
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Golf's very poor coaching is taking me away from golf
for the last three whiles. So every now and then
I find a couple of hours to get out for her.
It's obviously something that I really enjoyed, but I can't
crow too much about my golf game. Leslie hasn't been
flesh at all.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
Happy Father's Day anyway. I know you're a great dad.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
Thank you very much. No, yeah, it's a big day
for the dad's out there, so I hope and you
run he has a good day.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
Craig McMillan, thanks so much for joining us. Can't wait
to hear who is in that White Fund's World Cup squad.
It will be revealed on Wednesday. Looking forward to it, yep,
we'll do.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
Thanks for your time, Leslie, appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
For more from News Talk sed B, listen live on
air or online, and
Speaker 2 (05:40):
Keep our shows with you wherever you go with our
podcast on iHeartRadio
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