It's not the way he wanted it, but Blackcaps speedster Adam Milne wants to make a tournament-changing impact at the T20 Cricket World Cup.
The 29-year-old was called up earlier this week as an injury replacement for Lockie Ferguson who tore a calf in training.
Milne was already with the squad in Sharjah at the expense of New Zealand Cricket as an emergency replacement if a squad member fell over.
In the prime of a career that has been hit with injury after injury, the right-hand quick bowler arguably deserved a spot in the original 15-man squad.
Milne starred for the Sydney Thunder under Shane Bond in the Big Bash at the beginning of 2021, before an excellent showing in the inaugural The Hundred tournament in England, and a succesfull stint Mumbai in the Indian Premier League had Milne primed for World Cup selection.
With 28 wickets in 27 matches across T20 and The Hundred in 2021, Milne believed he earned his spot, but has put that disappointment behind him and wants to be a difference-maker if selected for Monday's do or die clash with India.
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed to make the 15 after having performed pretty well throughout the period I'd been playing," Milne says.
"But with selection, these things happen, and you've got to respect the decisions that the coaching staff and selectors have made.
"I definitely feel like this has been the best period of cricket that I've had in a long, long time.
"I'd love to really make the most of it and continue to use this period to develop and perform really well at a higher level.
"I'm excited to hopefully make a difference with the ball in these games here and really prove that this period has been influential for me."
Milne was in line to suit up for the opening game loss to Pakistan, but didn't receive clearance to play by the ICC until moments after the match concluded.
The Palmerston North native admits he was frustrated having mentally prepared to play.
"It was a bit of a rollercoaster ride the other day with Lockie going down and being told 'you're in', and then a few things happening and you're not in.
"It was a decent drive to the ground - 60 minutes - so I had a little bit of a nap, so I think there might have been some things going on behind the scenes while I was having a snooze.
"The good thing was I was already part of the group [as 16th man injury cover] so it's exciting to now have the opportunity to potentially play some games in the World Cup and hopefully make a difference."
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