McMillan returned yesterday with the New Zealand team which went through the tournament unbeaten, downing Australia with four balls to spare in the final on Sunday night.

The Canterbury all-rounder said that conditions were fairly similar to those in Sri Lanka, but ``just a little bit more humid''.

``It was unbearable when the sun was out,'' McMillan said. For the Commonwealth Games, of course, the cricketers will have to spend considerably longer in the sun, playing standard 50-over games compared with 14 overs for the eights.

McMillan, a previous New Zealand youth captain, and still only 21, relished his first chance to lead New Zealand at senior international level.

He said it helped to lead the team ``in a setting where there wasn't all that much pressure''. To people sceptical about the worth of the tournament win, McMillan suggested they look at the Australia side.

Australia had sent the best side possible with Adam Gilchrist, Damien Martyn, Greg Blewett, Ricky Ponting, Brendon Julian, and Damien Fleming among the players.