AS introductions go, Nathan McCullum's home debut for Glamorgan was as swashbuckling as they come.
The Welsh county were teetering on 102 for six in Wednesday's Friends Life t20 match against Warwickshire when McCullum came to the crease, needing 17 from 11 balls for victory.
Scoring had been slow on a stodgy Cardiff pitch, but the New Zealander made a mockery of the conditions by reverse- sweeping his first ball for four and then smashing his third for a monstrous six.
McCullum's heavy blows left Glamorgan requiring just four from the final over but, not one for a tense finale, the new signing decided to end the contest with time to spare.
Taking a slight step back for the first ball of the last over, the 32-year-old sealed victory by striking a sumptuous lofted on-drive into the stands.
McCullum finished on 18 not out from just five balls, supplementing the wicket he had taken as Warwickshire were dismissed for 118.
And having claimed a wicket with his first ball in the opening win over Worcestershire, McCullum has certainly made a fine first impression.
"It's not just his batting but his bowling and fielding too — he's a real package," said the county's one-day captain Marcus North. "I've seen him do it in international cricket, the Indian Premier League, the Big Bash, and I've seen him win the Champions League with the Sydney Sixers.
"Seeing him go against Warwickshire, it was a credit to him that he could hit so cleanly from ball one on a wicket like that. That's why we signed him.
"He's been outstanding in his first two games and, if he keeps contributing like that, we're going to be on the right end of a lot of results."
Glamorgan now have two wins from their first two T20 fixtures, but they will be without Simon Jones for the rest of the campaign because of a shoulder injury. Jim Allenby, meanwhile, is expected to make a swift return after missing Wednesday's game through illness.
Glamorgan face Warwickshire again tomorrow (2.30pm) as they make the trip to Rugby.
"If you can get some early wins, it breeds a lot of confidence," said North.
"It's amazing when you have that confidence, you win those close games."
