Craig McMillan Players Stats

Craig McMillan was a former New Zealand middle order batsmen who was known for his exceptional big hitting prowess. Adding forte to New Zealand's shaky middle order, this man went on to win many a match for his team. Also a handy medium pace bowler, he would chip in with vital wickets helping his team's cause more often than not. Even for a bowler who bowled at a military medium pace, he was aggressive and pretty lavish with his bouncers.

McMillan's career is highlighted by his particularly attacking century against Australia in 2007 where he lifted his team to a morale boosting victory. Chasing a formidable 350, New Zealand got off to the worst possible start losing their top four batsmen for just 41 runs. McMillan came to the crease under immense pressure and scored a blistering century off only 67 balls to take back the record for the fastest century by a New Zealander.

In the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 which was held in South Africa in 2007, McMillan was New Zealand's top performer by a distance. He was New Zealand's top scorer with 163 runs with an average of 40.75 and a phenomenal strike-rate of 181.

In spite of his big hitting abilities, McMillan never quite made it big at the Test level. He often got out trying to be too aggressive and this caused his downfall in the end. Following the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup, McMillan's form suffered and he was consequently axed from the national team. He managed to find a way back into the limited overs side on the back of heavy scoring for domestic side, Canterbury. Strong performances against Australia and Sri Lanka ensured that he was picked for the 2007 ICC CWC.

After the end of the ICC World Twenty20 in 2007. McMillan announced his retirement from international cricket citing injury issues. Being a diabetic, he found it difficult to maintain fitness and hence called it quits. He never played another international tournament again. Following that, he went on to join the rebel league in India and captained the Royal Bengal Tigers. McMillan has also played in the English county circuit for Hampshire and Gloucestershire.