Photograph by: WILLIAM WEST
Credit: AFP

Today, Brian McMillan - rated by many as the best allround cricketer in the world in the mid-90s - is plotting to be the go-to guy of office automation in the country. Need a copier, fax machine, printer? Go to Tytec, the family office automation firm that McMillan, 45, founded in April last year.

Being the best businessman that he can be, and ensuring his family's future, is how McMillan sees his future.

"I have a vision of being a success in the future ... moving ahead in business and growing this business to support my family," said the former cricketer, who played 38 Tests and 78 one-day internationals for South Africa from 1991 to 1998.

His involvement in cricket ended a few years ago after a brief stint as a selector for Western Province. These days his choice is rugby, his "No1 sport" when he was younger.

The hulking McMillan - who was born in Welkom but has lived in Cape Town since 1989 - was "knocking on the door of the Transvaal B rugby side" when he broke his thumb and was given an ultimatum by Ali Bacher: choose between cricket and rugby.

He landed a cricket contract - and the rest is history. The right-hand bat and right-arm medium-fast bowler played for Transvaal, Warwickshire and Western Province before his international debut in November 1992 against India.

McMillan is sanguine about his decision.

"I enjoy both sports but the cricket contract came up first," is his take on how he became a professional cricketer rather than a rugby player.

These days he indulges his love of rugby through his involvement with Villagers, where he is the convenor of selectors.

And he may have a future professional rugby player in the family in the form of youngest son Joshua, a Grade 10 pupil at SACS.

McMillan believes that Joshua, a "big lad who enjoys rugby a hell of a lot, definitely has the temperament" to play at the highest levels at tighthead prop. But he will leave that up to his son. McMillan is not a believer in pushy parenting.

His involvement in rugby does not mean he has abandoned cricket. He says he still watches it "pretty closely".

He believes that the Proteas have the potential to win the ICC Champions Trophy, despite being trounced by Sri Lanka in their opening match.

"The longer we stay in the tournament, the better we will play," is his take on Graeme Smith and his men's efforts so far. "I think SA has got a pretty good side. Personal pride will carry us."

McMillan will not countenance the argument that South Africa are chokers who do not have the mental strength to win a big tournament.

He should know, having played in the semifinal defeat against England in the 1992 World Cup which ended controversially when, after a rain delay, the rule for scores in rain-affected matches revised SA's target from 22 runs in 13 balls to an absurd 21 runs in one ball.

"The bottom line when you play tournaments is that the side that is playing the best cricket at that stage will most likely win.

"But quite a lot comes into it. There's luck. And things can go against you. In some sides you have great players who can come along and take the game away from you."

He believes SA have been unfairly labelled with the chokers tag because they often feature in the knockout stages of tournaments.

McMillan has no doubt about SA's bright cricketing future.

"We're comprehensively the top Test side in the world right now and we're among the top one day sides. SA is a helluva good cricketing nation."

He always relishes SA's skirmishes with Australia, so he was ecstatic when the Proteas beat Australia Down Under last year. He was involved in the 1993/4 campaign when the countries shared the spoils 1-1 in the three-match series in Australia.

McMillan remembers his Australian Nemeses fondly, especially former captain Allan Border and Shane Warne, who named him one of SA's excellent players in his autobiography.

He recalled an incident when he waved a pistol at Border after a tough morning in the field.

"I got him [Border] out ... I was walking to the changeroom at lunchtime and I saw this security bloke walking past with a gatt (pistol). I asked him for it and he said, 'What do you want to do with it?' I said, 'I want to shoot an Aussie.'"

Assuring the astounded guard that he wasn't seriously contemplating shooting anybody, he persuaded him to take out the bullets and give him the weapon.

McMillan then walked into the Australian dressing room, waving it around. The sight of the armed McMillan caused the startled Australians to scarper.

"It was all tongue-in-cheek," is how McMillan remembers it. "We always got on well, there was no animosity or aggression between us.

"We were very competitive in the field. We didn't hold grudges. But I wouldn't do the stunt with the gun in the modern era."

He also managed to shut up the notoriously voluble Warne, by telling him in Adelaide: "I'll sort you out after the game."

McMillan - whose hobbies include golfing (he has an eight handicap), rock and surf fishing and mountain biking - said the hardest thing to adapt to after retiring from cricket in the 1999/2000 season was life at home with his wife Denise.

"Trying to build up a rapport again was difficult. You become very selfish when you're on tour.

"You have to learn again how to consider other people."

Fortunately, he was not in search of a career because his sales jobs at first Nashua then Canon helped him survive while he played cricket.

"In the old days we had to work while we played," said McMillan, who has an MBA.

Proving that his focus has turned from cricket, McMillan said the five people he would like to have to dinner would be Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe ("I'd like to have a chat with him to see what makes him tick"); al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden; US President Barack Obama; David Beckham ("He has superstar status but when you hear him talking, he doesn't sound that bright. But he has to be bright to have achieved all he has. Hopefully he'll bring along his wife so that if he lacks a brain, I can talk to her"); and Bidvest chairman Brian Joffe.

All things being possible, McMillan would also invite Princess Diana.

"I've always said to my wife that if I was going to mess her around, it would be for Princess Diana. If I could I would have had a dart for her."