A hard-hitting allrounder who made an impressive start to his career for the Eagles in South Africa with his aggressive seam bowling and middle-order runs. An international call-up didn't come early though, as South Africa were blessed with an abundance of fast-bowling allrounders such as Shaun Pollock and Jacques Kallis (besides the likes of Andrew Hall and Johan van der Wath). As with so many young South Africans McLaren opted for the Kolpak route and signed for Kent in 2007, taking a a hat-trick in the 2007 Twenty20 final to help Kent win the trophy. Despite remaining under contract with Kent, McLaren was called up for South Africa's ODI squad to face Kenya and Bangladesh in October 2008 but the county refused to release him. It appeared an international career wouldn't happen, but he was released from his county contract at the end of the 2009 season, making him eligible for selection to the South African team. That came soon after, as South Africa named him in their limited-overs squad to face Zimbabwe and England. His rising stock as a Twenty20 player lead to a contract with the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League, but he struggled to make an impact in the 2010 edition of the tournament. He remains something of a fringe player in the South African set-up, but although his batting has not quite fired at international level, McLaren made headlines in May 2010 when he picked up 5 for 19 in the first Twenty20 of South Africa's tour of the Caribbean - the second best figures in the format's history.
Andrew McGlashan May 2010