It’s our quickest bowler’s first Burger King Super Smash game this summer this Saturday afternoon and he’s feeling pumped! How does ADAM MILNE feel about lining up the Aces at Eden Park Outer Oval in a game that will determine who hosts the Burger King Super Smash Elimination Final?

Welcome back Adam and just in time for three big games. What would home advantage in next Friday’s Burger King Super Smash Elimination Final mean for the Stags?

ADAM MILNE: I think it’s really important. First of all, we’d like to get back on a bit of a roll of winning games — that always helps going into playoffs and then the Burger King Super Smash Grand Final. Also, to be able to play a playoff at home in New Plymouth at Pukekura Park — all the boys know the ground and know the pitch and we love playing in New Plymouth for all the fans there.

You’ve been out for a while after an injury. What’s your own build-up been like over the past few weeks?

ADAM MILNE: I had a hamstring issue just before Christmas, and have been rehabbing and getting over that. The last couple of weeks, I’ve been back bowling and trying to get back to full speed and moving well so that, if this opportunity came — which it now has — I’d be ready to come in.

The last time we saw you running in for the Stags was round two Plunket Shield back in October. This after such a solid season last summer, and then a great 2018 off season in the Blast with Kent. You must be champing at the bit to get back in amongst it.

ADAM MILNE: Yeah, it’s been a frustrating summer so far! I’ve been itching to get out there really. It’s been good to see the boys doing so well and playing some really good cricket, but it’s never quite the same when you’re not out there contributing so I’m looking forward to tomorrow against the Aces.

How did you feel in training?

ADAM MILNE: Really good. Last couple of weeks have been going really well. The body’s feeling good, and nice and strong, and I just need to get out there and get some game time and hopefully perform well for the Stags.

Perfectly timed re-entry. It’s a great time to have you back after Doug Barcewell and Blair Tickner heading to the BLACKCAPS.

ADAM MILNE: We’ve got a really good pace bowling group in CD as a whole and I think it’s exciting that there’s a whole group of guys who are all coming into a good bit of fitness and we can all bowl pretty quick and have got good accuracy and good skills. It’s exciting for the Stags to have that reservoir of fast bowlers. I really enjoyed my time at Kent. Great group of guys and yeah I played some good cricket over there. When you have a bit of a break, due to injury, you have to find that in-game form again but hopefully with Twenty20 being a bit shorter, you can just run in and be aggressive from the word go, and try not to feel it out too much — just try and get straight back into it. It’s not always easy but hopefully it will go all right 4pm this Saturday at Eden Park.

What’s your take on the Aces?

ADAM MILNE: They’re a very good side. They’ve got a number of good players and they bat deep. They’ve got lots of experience too so we know that we’re going to have to be on top of our game. They play really well at Eden Park Outer Oval where we know it’s going to be a good wicket and quick outfield. We have to be smart and accurate with our plans, and equally our batsmen need to do that against their bowlers and look to be aggressive.

What sort of conditions are we expecting in a match that will decides who hosts which Final next week?

ADAM MILNE: It’s going to be really good. Some small boundaries of course — particularly straight, and a fast outfield, so as a team we’ve done some planning around how we are going to attack that with the bat and restrict with the ball. It’s a difficult task at Outer Oval for the bowler, hard ground to bowl at, but one that you want to take on — and, if you can bowl well, take a few wickets, it’s very exciting.

High stakes in all these last three games of the 2018/18 Burger King Super Smash!

ADAM MILNE: Yep but we enjoy it, it’s always good to play for the Stags, we’re always looking to win games and now that it’s the back end of Burger King Super Smash it’s just a great time to be playing cricket.

Burger King Super Smash

Auckland Aces v Central Stags

Saturday 9 February, 4.00pm

Eden Park Outer Oval, Auckland

Live scoring: visit nzc.nz

Facebook, Instagram and Twitter updates: @CentralStags

Official hashtags: #BKSuperSmash #AcesvStags #LoveTheStags

Click here to see the Burger King Super Smash schedule

Article added: Saturday 09 February 2019