McMillan takes permanent coaching role with New Zealand women cricket
Web Desk
CHRISTCHURCH: Former New Zealand batter Craig McMillan on Tuesday appointed assistant coach of the national women’s cricket team on a full-time basis ahead of ICC Women World Cup 2025.
The 48-year-old has been working with the squad on a part-time contract for the past year, including during their successful T20 World Cup campaign in the UAE last year. His new deal sees him step into a permanent role, focusing on batting and fielding under head coach Ben Sawyer.
McMillan admitted the full-time position means reducing his media and other coaching commitments, but said it was an easy decision. “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 working with our talented players and help them reach their goals,” McMillan said. “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 achieve special things on the world stage.”
McMillan stressed that preparations are already underway for the upcoming Women’s ODI World Cup in India later this year. “It’s been a busy period leading into the 50-over World Cup. We’ve had a number of training camps, including one in Chennai which exposed the players to Indian conditions.”
“similar to what they’ll face in October and November. The team is pumped to get back to India and take on another World Cup,” he concluded. It is pertinent to mention that the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 will begin on 30 September and run until 2 November across five cities in India and Sri Lanka. Hosts India will face Sri Lanka in the opening match at Bengaluru, while defending champions Australia will begin their title defence against T20 World Cup winners and Trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand on 1 October in Indore.
The eight-team tournament will follow a single round-robin format, with each team playing the others once. The top four sides will advance to the semi-finals. Matches will be played in Bengaluru, Vizag, Indore, Guwahati, and Colombo. One semi-final will be held in Bengaluru, while the other is scheduled for either Colombo or Guwahati. The final will take place on 2 November, with Bengaluru and Colombo shortlisted as potential venues. Teams will also play two warm-up matches each, beginning on 24 September. India is set to take on 2022 runners-up England in a warm-up clash in Bengaluru, followed by a fixture against South Africa on 27 September in Guwahati.
