Craig McMillan

Craig McMillan offered a lot of promise when he made his International debut aged just 21. He established himself quickly in the national side with consistently useful performances that bordered on the breathtaking. In 2000 he took 26 runs off a Younis Khan over, a record then for the maximum number of runs in a single over in Tests.

His attacking style proved to be more effective in the shorter formats of the game. He was an integral part of Stephen Fleming's side that was symbolic of total team performances. He got a 75 ball century against Pakistan, the fastest ever by a Kiwi player. His form slumped in 2002 and after a below par performance in the 2003 World Cup he was dropped from the national side. He made a comeback though in 2007 and enjoyed a glorious second flourish. His record of the fastest ton had been beaten by Jacob Oram by that time but he reclaimed it with a stunning 67 ball ton against the mighty Aussies. He produced more such vital contributions in the ODIs and earned his spot for the 2007 World Cup in West Indies. He was also a part of the NZ squad for the inaugural T20 World Cup. He retired on a high after that tournament after being the highest scorer for New Zealand.

His unorthodox style of play reached its heights when he began to display a square on stance that would enable him to play the big shots on the onside. He was nicknamed 'Gladiator' by his team mates for his uncanny resemblance to actor Russel Crowe. McMillan finished his cricketing career after signing up with the ICL and a county stint with Canterbury.

In 2014, New Zealand Cricket appointed McMillan as the team's national batting coach. He has also worked as a batting coach for Canterbury before making a foray into commentary.

By Cricbuzz Staff