MacGill was born in the Perth suburb of Mount Lawley and began his first-class career in the 1993/94 season playing for Western Australia.

In the 3rd Test against South Africa at Adelaide in January 1998, MacGill was selected as Australia's second spinner and helped them to draw the match with 3 for 22 in the second innings.

[9] MacGill kept his spot in the side when they returned home for an Ashes series, again finishing as Australia's most successful bowler with 27 wickets at 17.70.

[13] With Shane Warne serving a drugs ban, MacGill returned to the Caribbean in 2003 and for the next year acted as Australia's sole spinner.

[14] He lost his spot in the side and over the next year and a half played just two Tests, both on the spin friendly SCG wicket.

He played again in the Tests that followed, against South Africa, and won a place in Australia's squad for their inaugural tour of Bangladesh.

[16] Warne retired from Test cricket at the end of the 2006–07 Ashes series, although MacGill faced competition for a place in the side from several younger players.

MacGill announced that he would retire after the 2nd Test against the West Indies, due to recurring injuries to his knee and nerves in the arm leading to the fingers.

Both Warne and MacGill's records were etched on the home (international) team dressing room's honours board in SCG.

MacGill returned to cricket in the 2011–12 season, signing to play for the Sydney Sixers in Australia's inaugural Big Bash League at the age of 40.

MacGill is noted for his fondness for wine, holding a degree in viticulture, and books, once reading 17 novels during a tour of Pakistan.

[23] MacGill was allegedly dragged into a car at around 8pm local time and driven to a property in Bringelly in Sydney's west where he was assaulted by four men, who were arrested over the incident a month later.