Craig McMillan was one of those players who always dominated the conversations of New Zealand cricket fans

Peter Burdon17-Oct-2007

“Craig McMillan liked to dominate bowling attacks. He would refuse to get bogged down, particularly in the one-day game” © Getty Images
Craig McMillan was one of those players who always dominated the conversations of New Zealand cricket fans. Whether the discussion focused on his dismissal after attempting a reverse-sweep or dancing down the wicket to hit his first delivery for six, he was never far from the action.It’s ironic that McMillan should now exit the game of his own accord, when so many people over the last ten years have called for his dropping on many occasions. His ability has never been in question, but his decision-making at the crease often frustrated New Zealand supporters.But when it paid off, there were very few batsmen in international cricket who could entertain as well as McMillan. His unpredictability not only frustrated fans, but also opposition bowling attacks. At times it was impossible to predict what he would do. He may dance down the wicket, decide on a reverse-sweep or even play a shot that would please Martin Crowe or Glenn Turner. This style of batting was never more evident than in March 2001 when he hit 26 off Younis Khan to break the record for the most runs in a Test over.McMillan made his debut for New Zealand in 1996-97, but he would not play a Test until the following summer. From those early days, he was never scared to take on his opposition. He had some interesting verbal exchanges with a few Australian players. He liked to dominate Shane Warne with the bat and the two had some great verbal battles over the years. They later became good friends, particularly after McMillan played for Hampshire in 2005 under the captaincy of Warne.When he first entered the New Zealand team, there were high hopes that McMillan would become an international star. After a good start to his career, he never quite made it. Many argue that his shot selection was why he failed to score more runs. But McMillan liked to dominate bowling attacks. He would refuse to get bogged down, particularly in the one-day game. If he had to risk his wicket to keep on top of a bowler, that’s what he would do.He was also explosive at the bowling crease. Although he did not have the pace to scare opposition batsmen, his energy and determination gave him an uncanny ability to break up long-standing partnerships.Scoring more than 3000 Test runs at an average of 38.46, he contributed a great deal to his national side in the longer form of the game, even if the record is not spectacular. His ODI statistics look less impressive, but they do not tell the whole story.

“He was never scared to take on his opposition. He had some interesting verbal exchanges with a few Australian players” © Getty Images
His overall batting average in the one-day game is just 28.18 and he reached three figures on only three occasions in 197 games. But as a middle-order batsman, he often came in during the death overs and had to sacrifice his wicket. Despite the low average, he did play some useful innings for his country.The other interesting thing about McMillan is his fighting spirit. It was never obvious to spectators or viewers that he had to take his diabetic medication regularly. He refused to let that affect his game. This fighting spirit was also evident on the field and through his determination to get back in the team when he was dropped. This first happened when he was cut for the New Zealand tour to Sri Lanka in 2003. When he was re-selected for the trip to India later that year, he scored 83 not out to save his team in the first Test. He followed that up with a century in the second.But the more remarkable comeback followed his failure to secure a contract with New Zealand Cricket in June 2006. After his re-selection later that year, he would dominate Australia in the 2006-07 Chappell-Hadlee Trophy. The highlight was the final game where he was instrumental in chasing down 346 to guide his team to a 3-0 series win. His century came off 67 balls and he was later dismissed for 117. McMillan followed that performance with 228 runs at 32.57 in the World Cup, while he was New Zealand’s highest run-scorer in the World Twenty20 in South Africa.His explosive nature on the park and fighting spirit will be missed by his team-mates and New Zealand cricket fans. He may go down in history as someone who could have done more, but no-one can deny his determination and natural ability.