Mills believes the win over South Africa has given the team a much-needed boost of confidence

New Zealand pace bowler Kyle Mills has announced that the national team have become a much more respected side in ODIs over the years and have also established themselves as a “quality white-ball unit” after defeating South Africa 2-1 in their recently concluded ODI series.

“I think we do have a common respect around the world of cricket that we are a quality white-ball unit,” Mills said. “So hopefully, we can produce those sorts of performances that have given us that respect, and produce them to good effect in the coming games.

“In the one-day format, we’ve generally been pretty good. [We’ve reached] semi-finals of major tournaments all around the world. We’re under no illusions, it’s going to be a tough task. We’ve to play exceptionally well in all facets of the game, and if we produce those sort of performances, probably we can get a result.”

New Zealand managed to reach the semi-finals of the 2011 International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup, but have had an extremely dismal 2012, where their only successful series came against Zimbabwe at the start of the year before being comprehensively defeated by South Africa on home soil, as well as on their tour of the West Indies.

However, during their series against Sri Lanka, despite being humiliated in the first Test, New Zealand managed to bounce back and end the series as a 1-1 draw after thrashing the Sri Lankans in the second Test with a surprisingly devastating all-round performance.

With the return of former captain Ross Taylor for the England series, it could see the end of another short spell for batsman Grant Elliot, who made his international return against South Africa after spending two years on the sidelines.

“My comeback has probably come a little bit sooner that I thought,” Elliott said. “I was eyeing the one-day series back home in New Zealand, the Ford Trophy, for the last half of the season. But, really happy that it’s come now.”

Elliot was also pleased to get the opportunity to play against South Africa since it was the country where he was born and played the sport until 2001.

“It is quite weird, you know,” Elliot added. “Having met some people that I recognise from ten years ago when I was here. But to be playing cricket here as well where you grow up as a youngster, you want to be playing for South Africa and as things change in life, you’re now playing for New Zealand against South Africa, so I think you lift probably a little bit more with your game because you want to prove a point.”