'ICL has created a good infrastructure'

Craig McMillan was an integral of the New Zealand team when he suddenly announced his retirement in October 2007. After leaving the international stage, McMillan came to India and joined the Indian Cricket League where he is leading the Kolkata Tigers.

The New Zealander is very excited for the ICL and said that the league is a good platform for the young Indian players to hone their skills.

"One is the exposure given to the young Indian players. They now have foreign trainers, world class fitness programme and coaching skills. The ICL has got men like Jock Campbell who was with the Australia team for a long time," McMillan replied when asked what advantages will the Indian players get from playing in the ICL.

He also pointed out that the Indian domestic circuit cannot provide such kind of exposure.

"They have been exposed to a lot of things that they never came across in domestic cricket. Hopefully they will learn a lot from all this and become better players. The ICL has created a good infrastructure for them. If the ICL had not come along they would have never experienced such a thing. Some one like Jock Campbell (coach of Chandigarh Lions) is one of the trainers and he has been with the Australian team for a long time. So his inputs will be of great help," he said.

With players like Brian Lara and Inzamam-ul Haq playing in the ICL, McMillan hoped that the Indian players would learn a lot from them.

"Playing alongside so many international players also has its advantage and the skills are passed on very quickly. I am sure the Indian players would learn a lot from some one like Brian Lara or Inzamam-ul Haq," he added.

Coming to the tournament, McMillan was disappointed on not winning the match against Mumbai Champs on Monday and securing a place in the semis.

"We are not worried about the run rate. We are worried about winning the next match and getting the two points so that we can reach the semi-finals. We were hoping for a win against Mumbai champs but that did not happen so let’s wait for the next match on Wednesday," he concluded.

Source : http://www.cricketnext.com/