Otago spinner Craig (27) was something of a shock selection in the New Zealand squad which toured the West Indies recently.
But he did not let his unexpected call-up burden him.
He made every post a winner, helping the Black Caps to a test series victory and picking up 12 wickets in the process.
He also bagged a test half-century and hit his first ball in test cricket for six.
It could not have been scripted better and the icing on the cake was completed last week for Craig, who is now back training in Dunedin, when he picked up a New Zealand Cricket contract.
''I could have not wished for better, really.
"If you had told me three months ago that I would be going to the West Indies and playing test cricket I would have said 'stop dreaming'. But it has been a pretty life-changing last two to three months,'' Craig said.
Craig first played for Otago in 2009 in a twenty20 match, but was something of a bolt from the blue when picked for the Black Caps for a three-test series.
There were no first-test nerves for Craig, who picked up eight wickets in his first test as the Black Caps bagged a victory.
''The environment they have got there is awesome. I was just feeling at ease in the team and not feeling nervous at all.''
He said he hit the six off the first ball as the side was looking to declare and captain Brendon McCullum wanted to push the scoring.
''I got it reasonably well. But to be fair, if he had bowled it halfway down the wicket I would have come down to hit it.
''Then I was able to bowl a maiden over to Gayle [West Indies opener Chris Gayle], which was pretty cool.
''You've got the opportunity to test yourself against one of the very best players in the world. I took the attitude I had everything to gain and nothing to lose and I managed to put six dots on him.
''It was a good wicket to bowl on with plenty of bounce. The way Timmy and Boulty [Tim Southee and Trent Boult] bowled, they set the standard for us straight away and we kept it up there.''
The victory did not lull Craig into any false assumptions about the test cricket.
The second test New Zealand lost and Craig did not enjoy the same success.
''The pitch was a lot slower and if you missed your length then you were in trouble.
"The margin of error was a lot less and it was a learning curve for me.''
The West Indies tied the series up with a victory in the second test but New Zealand won the third test to bag a rare series win.
''The boys were aware of what they could achieve and create a bit of history and win the test series over there ... it came down to the last day of the last test and we got over the line.''
Craig took three wickets in the second innings as New Zealand won by 53 runs.
Cricket will not be taking a back seat for Craig over the next couple of months.
He is joining the New Zealand A tour to play two three-day games next month and, along with Canterbury's Todd Astle, will do some bowling at country side Gloucestershire, where former New Zealand offspinner and coach John Bracewell is the director of cricket.
Craig said getting a New Zealand Cricket contract last week was great and life-changing.
''I am now a fulltime professional cricketer, which is pretty cool. Not a lot of people get to do what they really want to. But I'm living the dream right now.''
