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ST GEORGE'S, Grenada- Craig McMillan, reduced to looking for alternative employment after he was dropped by New Zealand at the end of 2005, played a key part in his country's march to the World Cup semi-finals today.
Man-of-the-match McMillan picked up his first World Cup wicket in three tournaments when he bowled South Africa's top scorer Herschelle Gibbs for 60. He followed up with two more cheap victims, including the dangerous Mark Boucher, to finish with three for 23 in the Super Eights fixture.
After captain Stephen Fleming had departed for 50, McMillan accelerated the New Zealand scoring rate to finish with an unbeaten 38 off 55 balls including a massive six into the stands to take his team to a five-wicket victory and the semi-finals.
McMillan, who bowled five overs, said Fleming usually called on him to break a partnership.
"So it's usually for maybe two or three overs, max, to try and get a wicket and then he goes back to the main bowlers," he said. "They were my first wickets at a World Cup so it's been a long time coming.
"From a personal point of view batting is my main art, bowling is a real bonus. It's good to show Flem that I can take a wicket here and there. I love bowling but it's something that I'm doing less and less."
Recalled to the one-day side in 2006, McMillan gave some typically robust performances with the bat in the tri-series against Australia this year.
The fastest one-day century by a New Zealander in the ensuing 3-0 series whitewash over Australia followed, ensuring a place in the World Cup squad.
But it was as a medium-pace change bowler that McMillan made his mark in Saturday's match.
Captain Stephen Fleming had turned to the 30-year-old because one of his usual medium-pace options, Scott Styris, was jaded after scoring a century and a half-century in the space of three days.
"Macca has the ability to get a wicket way out of the blue," Fleming told a news conference. "The fact that he got three was a massive bonus for us.
"It was also timely to throw somebody out there who they hadn't thought about too much. Boucher's, in particular, was a massive wicket for us."
Meanwhile, South African vice-captain Jacques Kallis blamed the unpredictable Caribbean weather for his team's poor performance.
Kallis felt the result was almost a forgone conclusion when New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming won the toss and opted to field after early showers and overcast skies made the batting conditions challenging in the morning.
"It's frustrating when the conditions play such a big role in the game, the toss was vital," Kallis said.
"In the first 20 overs it was a green test wicket and the guys did well to stick in there as well as we did and get a total we could bowl at."
The cloud cover dissipated and circumstances were better for batting during New Zealand's innings.
However, South Africa did not help their cause by dropping four catches.
"Who knows, if we had hung on to one or two chances maybe we could have been in a different position," Kallis said.
"Credit needs to be given to the bowlers for putting in a performance like that on what was a different wicket in the afternoon."
Kallis brushed off suggestions that the team was inconsistent even though South Africa had scored their highest World Cup tally -- 356 for four against West Indies -- at the same venue just four days ago.
"Not at all, I think it's inconsistency in the wicket," he said in reply to a question. "There's no way we would have got 350 on that wicket this morning.
"If we had managed to sneak in another 10 or 15 runs it might have made it more difficult for New Zealand and anyway it did go down to the last few overs."
Sunday's result means South Africa must beat England in their final Super Eights match in Barbados on Wednesday (NZ time) to reach the semis.
"It (the England match) was always a must-win game for us, it just becomes more must-win now," Kallis said.
- REUTERS
