Paul McEwan was a robust batsman who could also bowl utility medium pace. At the highest level, he could never prove himself in either of the two departments and was largely a bits-and-pieces cricketer who could be useful on his day. His aggressive nature with the bat meant that he could never be consistent in Tests and his medium pace bowling never had the sting to run through batting units. He played more ODIs in comparison but even there, couldn't have make much of an impact. However, Paul was a handy all-rounder in domestic cricket, becoming one of Canterbury's key men for over a decade. He ended his First-class career as their highest ever run-scorer and also was the first to play 100 FC games for Canterbury. A huge fan of Sir Garry Sobers, Paul believed in expressive cricket and hated the concept of blocking deliveries. As a result, there was barely a dull moment with him around and when on song, his power-hitting just brought the roof down. Inability to balance attack and defence cost him a successful international career but earned him a reputation in New Zealand's cricketing circles.

Written byHariprasad Sadanandan