The Cricket Interview/Brian McMillan
Big Mac
Brian Mervin McMillan was dubbed the next Ian Botham.
A recognition, perhaps, of his immense all-round potential, allied to personal charisma and macho stage presence.
Whether that potential has been realised is moot. The fact, though, remains that McMillan over time has become one of the safe picks for the South African selectors, whether for a home series, or a tour -- simply because he fits into any slot in the batting order from number three down, and can use the new ball or come in behind the strike bowlers and use his incredible energy to block one end up with steady seam and swing bowling.
McMillan brings an added dimension to his cricket with his fielding. Despite his height and bulk, he is one of the most electric slip fielders -- which makes him a favourite with his fellow fast bowlers -- in the game, and outstanding anywhere in the outfield.
Besides, McMillan ranks with Steve Waugh in the list of the most notorious sledgers in contemporary cricket. But then, Big Mac says he just can't help it -- he was made that way!
Excerpts from a candid conversation with Haresh Pandya:
You are ranked among the top all-rounders of contemporary cricket. It must be a great feeling...
I think it is nice to be recognised as a prime
all-rounder -- but I still believe there
is some room for improvement in my allround game. A lot of hard
work and dedication are also required -- still. I learnt the hard way that talent alone is worth nothing -- no matter how much you play, you have to keep pushing yourself, striving for excellence.
How do you compare yourself with say Wasim Akram and the other top all-rounders?
Wasim is actually a handsome bowler who also bats a bit.
Though he has produced some awesome innings in the most trying
circumstances imaginable, he remains primarily a bowler -- a matchwinner on his day.
But I think I am more a genuine all-rounder. Maybe I was lucky
to have a role model like Mike Proctor, who was a truly majestic
all-rounder. And also Clive Rice, of course. Ian Botham, for another, was in a class of his own. And those are the kind of players I rate as genuine all-rounders -- and I am nowhere in that class yet.
How do you view the contemporary South African
pace bowlers, your comrades in arms?
There's no doubt that Allan Donald is simply the best
fast bowler in the world. In Fanie de Villiers, we
have got one of the best swing bowlers in the modern game. Shaun Pollock has emerged as a nice fast-bowling
allrounder. And there's Lance Klusener, too, coming along very nicely. Brett Schultz, when fit, can be dangerous on any wicket. I would think we have got one of the most balanced, most penetrative fast
bowling attacks in the world today.
When you look back, which point of your career would you identify as the point from where you really took off?
I don't think there was any identifiable point as such -- I guess if I was pushed, I would say obviously, our re-admission to international
cricket would have to be the one. That, and our 10-day tour of India in 1991. It opened up the game for me, for us as a team.
You mentioned the 10-day tour, the one that broke the ice after South Africa was readmitted. What memories do you have of that time?
Actually, it was a short trip, just 10 days, so it was kind of hectic, everything was confused. At the time,
we didn't have much knowledge about international cricket, about the Indian cricketers. Somebody had suggested that South Africa
should play Pakistan first -- but we were glad our first outing in international cricket was against
India, as they supported us to the hilt when we were fighting for readmission.
As far as the games went, we lost a couple, but we won the last ODI -- and that made us realised that though we hadn't played international cricket for 20 years, we were still good enough to win at the highest level.
I guess overall, my memory has got to be of 100,000 people crammed into the Eden Gardens in Calcutta, to watch us play! That was, like, fantastic! And then the hospitality -- in those ten days we attended something like fifteen or sixteen functions.
Is there some point in your career that you would identify as a purple patch?
Not in the sense of saying, yeah, this series, this month, this year I was at my best or I was enjoying it, whatever. Basically, I've enjoyed every game, every series. If I was pressed, I would identify scoring my first century against Pakistan, notching a 100 against England, those kind of moments. Overall though, I think the 1994 tour
of England was the most memorable -- because we defeated England
in a Test at Lord's.
Is intimidation part of your cricketing vocabulary?
First of all, I believe you got to play fair -- which to me means adhering to the rule book. I do play very hard, I could come up with some short-pitched stuff, give the batsman a bit of an eyeball at times. Hey, no fast bowler likes to get hit, so they all show a bit of aggro at times and I'm no different.
You have played against India, home and away, for quite a few games now. How do you rate the Indian new ball bowlers?
Javagal Srinath is an extremely good bowler, and can be very fast on his day. He is a destructive bowler in the right conditions, really. Venkatesh Prasad
is not too far behind, I believe. Not as fast as Srinath, but he has variety and uses the slower ball with devastating effect.
Your team-mates say you are a role model for young upcoming all-rounders back home. So who do you model yourself on?
I don't know if I am actually modelling myself on them. But I would say Sir Richard
Hadlee when I'm bowling, and Viv Richards when batting. In the sense of admiring the way they do those things, and trying to emulate them. If you
look at approach, attitude, then I would say Botham and Rice -- two players I admire for their supreme all-round skills and never-say-die attitude.
So much is said, more written, about your breathtaking slip fielding. Which would you rate among your most memorable
catches?
Yes, frankly, I do enjoy standing in the slips, it's a big adrenalin high. And I have
taken some really good catches there. The one I remember most was
in the third Test against India at Kingsmead, in
1992. Ajay Jadeja was batting, I was at second slip and
Jimmy Cook at third slip. The catch came flying between us, and we both went for it. Cook got in front of me, so I took it behind his back, being totally unsighted at the time. That's the kind of catch you don't ever forget.
Then there was one in England, de Villiers was bowling to
Graeme Hick, Hick chased the wide one and I took it one handed, very low down, and it was really travelling at the time. Had a split second to get down and snag it and when I got it in my hand, I was ecstatic,
thought to myself that it was an incredible catch.
As an all-rounder, have you set any goals for yourself?
That is not in my nature, really. Personal goals, I mean. It's not like I dream of getting near Kapil Dev's tally of 434 Test wickets. Or of beating Allan Border's tally of Test runs. Wouldn't be realistic to dream of either or both, would it?
Actually, my first and foremost priority
is to see South Africa win as many games as possible. To contribute to those wins any way I can -- batting, bowling or fielding. For me, cricket is a team game -- and the biggest kick is when your team wins. A century or a five wicket haul can't give you much pleasure if at the end of the day you are on the losing side, right? So yeah, I guess my goals are to be part of a consistently winning side.
TESTS
(including 17/10/1997)
M I NO Runs HS Ave 100 50 Ct St
Batting 33 53 11 1716 113 40.85 3 11 41 -
O M R W Ave Best 5 10 SR Econ
Bowling 915 239 2298 73 31.47 4-65 - - 75.2 2.51
ONE-DAY INTERNATIONALS
(including 14/12/1996)
M I NO Runs HS Ave 100 50 Ct St
Batting 68 46 16 787 127 26.23 1 - 38 -
O M R W Ave Best 4w 5w SR Econ
Bowling 529.5 27 2268 62 36.58 4-32 1 - 51.2 4.28
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