Injuries at an inopportune time affected Kyle Mills's prospects of making a more significant start to his international career. While he was recovering, Shane Bond, Ian Butler and Jacob Oram seized their opportunities, making it harder for Mills to force his way back.

In and out of the team after the 2003 World Cup in which he made only one fleeting, wicketless appearance - he marked another comeback, against Pakistan in 2003-04, by picking up a reprimand for excessive appealing. However, he did enough to earn a call-up for the tour of England in 2004, and made his Test debut in the third match at Trent Bridge.

But he picked up a side strain during the game, and was forced to fly home and miss the NatWest Series. That was a shame, as one-day cricket is really his forte: he played throughout the 2005-06 season, chipping in with wickets in almost every game, even if his once-promising batting had diminished to the point that he managed double figures only once in 16 matches. A feisty temper remains, though: Stephen Fleming had to pull him away from Graeme Smith during a bad-tempered one-day series towards the end of 2005.

Mills returned to South Africa for the Tests early in 2006, and picked up eight wickets in the two matches he played, almost doubling his career tally. He played in the 2006 Champions Trophy, but his injury jinx struck again and he was ruled out of the 2007 World Cup with a serious knee problem.