Brendon McCullum characterizes himself as “brash”. He is also considered the most gifted gloveman among many of the Kiwis as well as one of their finest strikers. Adam Gilchrist and MS Dhoni could be the initial faces that spring to mind when we debate wicketkeepers who really are prone towards fireworks. The younger son of an Otago First-Class player, this aggressive stumper from appears to be. Unsurprisingly, he had first been chosen for his nation, highlighted in champion trophy news, more for his hitting than for his wicket-keeping abilities. McCullum has established himself in the tournament’s 50- and 20-over formats by putting up rapid runs as an opener. He favors the leg side, particularly the cow corner.
Unique style of his :-
Apart from a 96 versus England at Lord’s, his first few centuries in the longer format of the game with style were all against weak teams like Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. He didn’t have had any standout performances against the heavyweights to support his inclusion in the team. But all shifted when he quickly scored his third Test hundred against India at Napier in 2009, only five years into his career. Afterward, McCullum amassed a double tonne against India in Hyderabad, mixing coolness and ruthlessness. McCullum made the decision to stop using the gloves in 2010 in order to concentrate on his hitting.
IPL over the years :-
McCullum was one of the first players to be purchased by KKR for a regal price of $700,000 in the bidding of the first IPL due to the renown of his batting pyrotechnics. His undefeated 158 against RCB in the warm-up match of the 2008 IPL is unquestionably the pinnacle of his career within the shortest version of the game. There were as many as 13 sixes in the session.
Fascinating performances :-
As a batsman in 2014, McCullum achieved astounding heights. He became the first New Zealander to play cricket to the desired milestone of a triple century against India in Wellington, and so many New Zealand supporters must have been comforted after Martin Crowe’s 299 years previously. He proceeded to smash extremely quick double-tons against Pakistan in Sharjah, smashing one off just 186 balls. He was removed for 195 off just 134 balls during the Test series against Sri Lanka barely short of establishing the record for the quickest double tonne in Test cricket history.
McCullum, one of the most physically fit cricketers of both the contemporary era, became the only player to play in 100 straight Tests starting from his debut. At the age of 35, he made his retirement announcement during the Christchurch Test match over Australia in February 2016. In his final Test, he ambushed a powerful Australian attack to 145 runs off just 79 balls, setting a record for the fastest hundred in Test cricket. He gave his team and his supporters a memorable farewell inning that was full of audacity and courage.
Captaincy :-
In rather contentious situations, McCullum succeeded Ross Taylor as New Zealand’s captain in December 2012. New Zealand was destroyed 3-0 by South Africa in the Test series when McCullum served as manager. They bounced back to defeat the hosts in the ODI series, though and held England at home to a 0-0 draw in the Test series. Since their fourth visit to England in 2013, the Kiwis haven’t lost a Test series under his superb leadership.
Achievements :-
He collected 77 runs off 25 balls. In the semifinal round against South Africa, he likewise scored a devastating 59. McCullum led New Zealand in the World Cup in the final phase as captain, and at the time, his heartfelt letter to instructors pleading with them to grant pupils a day off from class so that they might watch the World Cup final was trending on social media. But Mitchell Starc bowled him for a duck, and New Zealand was never able to come back.McCullum still competes in T20 competitions throughout the world and captains the Brisbane Heat there in Big Bash League. In 11 matches with the Heat over the course of two seasons, he has scored 370 runs at an explosive strike rate of 158.80. In the approaching 7th edition of the Big Bash, McCullum, the holder of several T20I records, will try to lead from the beginning with his bat & guide his powerful side to victory.
Brendon McCullum has come a long way in his career, from dismissing Muttiah Muralitharan as a “brash” kid to apologize to Sangakarra for it when presenting the Cowdrey Lecture in 2016. He has developed as a cricketer and is now an example to his whole region and, consequently, the entire cricketing community. Baz has developed into one of the most evenly matched cricket players of his generation, preserving the game’s enthusiasm while playing with the expected amount of intensity.
McCullum was close to breaking Adam Parore’s Test record of 201 dismissals, but he gave up the wicketkeeping position when he was named captain in all the formats. This was indeed quite respectful and good for his career. Ross Taylor, the skipper he succeeded, opted out of New Zealand’s next tour of South Africa under controversy, making his transition anything than seamless. Nevertheless, McCullum gradually transformed New Zealand into a superb – and incredibly furious winning team in every aspect not only from the perspective of performance but also how they took out bat to defeat the opposition smoothly without any unnecessary aggression that other teams frequently displayed. During his direction, New Zealand played 13 straight home Tests without losing, and in 2015, they made them to the World Cup final for the first time. McCullum became the first player to play in 100 straight New Zealand Tests after his debuts when he retired in 2015–2016.
People start getting obsessed with his gameplay. Good at hand-eye coordination, proper estimation of the ball, extremely high pace, all this make an amalgam called Virender Sehwag. New Zealand has undoubtedly introduced a sensational figure onto the pitch that every small child nowadays looks forward to as their idol.
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