The 30-year-old from Canterbury turned in a cheerful, all-round performance to power the Black Caps to the last four of the World Cup on Saturday.

The party began with the wicket of Herschelle Gibbs and went on till the last ball of the New Zealand innings, by the end of which McMillan had managed to out-grin Andre Nel.

McMillan, who had bowled only an over and a half in the Group Eight stage so far, did a golden turn for his team by claiming Herschelle Gibbs (60), Ashwell Prince (37) and Mark Boucher (16) in his military-medium inspiring spell.

Every wicket was celebrated with a sense of wonder and when he came out with the bat he continued to play cheekily, stealing runs out of South Africa's limited reserves.

McMillan remained unbeaten on 38 from 55 balls, inclusive of two fours and a six, to guide New Zealand to a five-wicket win and a coveted semi-final spot.

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