A left-handed opening batsman, Tim McIntosh earned a call-up to the New Zealand Test squad at the age of 29, to face the touring West Indians. He made his debut for Auckland in 1998-99 but played only a handful of matches in his first two seasons. His consistency stood out in the next three seasons for the Aces and in 2002-03, amassed 820 runs at 58.57. He had a forgettable season with Canterbury in 2004-05 but ironically, his highest first-class score of 268 came against them. A sound start to the 2008-09 season caught the eye of the selectors who were looking to revamp New Zealand's struggling top order. After a nervous debut Test in Dunedin, he hit a patient century in the following game in Napier. McIntosh is largely regarded as a four-day specialist, a graduate of the 'Mark Richardson School of Batting.