Adam Milne

Arguably the fastest bowler to have emerged from New Zealand since Shane Bond, Adam Milne is a fine prospect and went on to make his international debut for the Kiwis on the back of some consistent performances in the domestic circuit and in the Champions League.

Having made his first-class debut at a tender age of 18, Milne impressed immediately, bagging a four-wicket haul in his debut innings against Canterbury.

Milne managed to hog the limelight during the 2010 Champions League T20, when he bowled his heart out and showed immense skills while plying his trade for the Central Districts.

Adam Milne’s T20I Career

On the back of some consistent performances in the CLT20, Adam Milne was drafted into the New Zealand squad for the series against Pakistan in December 2010 and went on to play two T20Is. Milne was part of the 30-member provisional list for the 2011 ICC World Cup but didn't make the final cut.

Like most fast bowlers, Milne’s initial career was severely hampered by injuries, which halted his progress in the first-class circuit in 2011-12. However, he was back again after being included in the New Zealand squad for the 2012 T20 World Cup, held in Sri Lanka.

One of the fastest bowlers around, Milne, has his journey hampered by injuries. The lanky fast bowler was sidelined with a hamstring injury since the Blackcaps' T20I against Pakistan in the UAE on November 2, 2018 had an injury scare recently during a two-day game for New Zealand XI against Bangladesh.

After missing the cut for the 2014 T20 World Cup, Milne was included in the following ICC event held in India, where New Zealand reached the semifinals to lose to England. 

Five years later, the Kiwis, with Milne, got their revenge on England by defeating them in the 2021 T20 World Cup semi-finals. However, they were ultimately beaten by Australia in the final.

Adam Milne was ruled out of the 2026 T20 World Cup due to a hamstring injury he suffered in the SA20 and was replaced in the squad by Kyle Jamieson.

Adam Milne's ODI Career

Adam Milne was handed his maiden ODI cap against Sri Lanka in 2012 and returned to the ODI squad after a year against the same opposition in November 2013. Despite featuring in a couple of encounters, his performance was far from impressive.

It was only in 2014-15 that Milne made heads turn with some fiery bowling against Pakistan in the UAE. He consistently clicked 145-150 kph, and riding on his impressive showing, he was rewarded with a place in the New Zealand squad for the 2015 ODI World Cup.

Five years after his injury, Milne had represented New Zealand in a handful of ODIs and T20Is owing to constant injuries. However, god has been kind to him, especially in the last few years, as his body is slowly starting to adapt to international cricket despite injuries.

Milne was a regular feature of the New Zealand squad from 2015-17 but couldn't quite deliver a performance of note. He produced some good performances here and there, but lacked the consistency that eventually led to his ouster from the national squad. 

Milne suffered another string of injuries in 2015-16 and eventually returned to play for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in 2017. He was drafted into the New Zealand squad for the Champions Trophy in 2017 after some impressive showings for the RCB.

He was quite impressive with the ball in hand during the 2020-2021 Big Bash League (BBL), troubling opposition batsmen with his skiddy nature. The Kiwi has to work on different aspects of his game and improve himself to become an all-condition bowler.

In September 2023, Milne was ruled out of the ODI series against England due to a hamstring injury sustained during a training session, just ahead of the ODI World Cup. He returned later that month against Bangladesh, taking four wickets in the only match he played, but missed the mega event. 

(As of February 2026)