BLACKCAPS announce new batting coach

Former BLACKCAP Craig McMillan will be the New Zealand cricket team's batting coach for their tour of the West Indies.

NZC head of cricket Lindsay Crocker is confident McMillan is the right man for the job.

"We had a number of strong applicants from New Zealand and abroad, but overall we felt that Craig was the best fit for the role," he said.

"Apart from being a former player himself, Craig has worked with Canterbury Cricket and also spent some time in the BLACKCAPS camp."

Crocker said McMillan's commentary work had also given him extensive knowledge of both the New Zealand and West Indies squads.

McMillan, 37, replaces Bob Carter, who has taken up the role of NZC high performance coach.

Crocker said a full-time appointment would be made after the West Indies tour, which runs from late May to early July and includes three Tests and two Twenty20 internationals.

McMillan played 55 tests, 197 one-dayers and eight T20s for New Zealand between 1997 and 2007.