Otago quickie McMillan (29) blasted the Canterbury bowling to all parts of the paddock in scoring 21 in an unbeaten 10th wicket stand of 25 at Carisbrook yesterday.
When bad light and rain ended play for the day after 90min, Otago had scored 346 for nine, a 99-run lead with one day left.
Left-hander Bradley Scott advanced his score from 32 to 59 not out, but he was prepared to play second fiddle and give the strike to an aggressive McMillan who scored 21 from 27 balls.
It was McMillan's highest first-class score, beating the 19 he scored against Auckland at Colin Maiden Park six years ago. His target is 50.
‘‘The other guys in the team promised me $50 each if I scored 50,'' McMillan joked.
The Canterbury field was put back in defensive positions when Scott was on strike and he was prepared to place the ball into the gap for singles to feed McMillan the strike.
A feature of McMillan's batting was his firm driving. His best shot was a straight drive for six off medium pacer Brandon Hiini.
He passed his previous best score with a neatly placed drive off the back foot for a single.
Scott, who went in at 134 for six, has played an innings of grit and determination.
He has hit seven fours, with his best two shots being square cuts for four off Hiini and Leighton Burtt.
Otago has gained just two outright wins in the four day competition and will not reach the final.
That is expected to be between Canterbury and Wellington in the capital.
But Otago has the satisfaction of being the only team not to suffer an outright loss this season and that has pleased coach Mike Hesson.
‘‘We try to win every game but if that was not possible, we take pride in not losing,'' Hesson said
It is the first time Otago has gone through the season unbeaten since the two-round competition started a decade ago.
With just 115 more overs left in the game, Otago has put itself into a position where it cannot lose.
