Brendon McCullum deservedly won the Halberg leadership Award and here's why

Brendon McCullum is on the verge of retirement, standing just one Test away before he hangs up his boots from international duty. As a leader, he has inspired a whole deal of pride in his team and has taken his country to unprecedented heights. The easily recallable ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 final — a first for the Black Caps — was only a part of it. During his tenure, particularly in 2015, he redefined the very way the game is to be played, hard but fair. There is a good reason to believe that the Halberg Awards committee made the right call when they bestowed McCullum with the leadership title. ALSO READ: Brendon McCullum claims Halberg Award for leadership McCullum is one of those players who can claim to have been a better leader than a captain. In most ways those two terms overlap, however there is a subtle difference which only men of McCullum's caliber bring to the fore. A good captain has more to do with performances of the team, character falls secondary. RELATED: Kane Williamson acknowledged as New Zealand sportsman of the year with Halberg Award As a leader, McCullum produced a new template of success, which resulted in all-round development of those under his wings. He changed the way his team played and by way of example showed others in the world how to take the game forward. READ ALSO: Here's why Kane Williamson deserved the Halberg Award for New Zealand sportsman of the year By way of his dealings at helm of the team, he showed that a team can play aggressively without ever having to display a glimpse of unfairness. New Zealand were perhaps the most aggressive side during the course of 2015, without ever  being arrogant. Sledging was never a feature on their agenda. Of course, all these are mere qualities which mean little if they do not yield results. McCullum ensured he had his bases covered in that area of operation. Iin 2015, New Zealand played eight Tests, four of which they won while suffering defeats in three and having one other game drawn. However, it was in the ODI format that McCullum's captaincy had a more telling impact. Out of the 24 matches New Zealand played in the year under McCullum, they secured wins in 18, while losing a mere five matches and one match being washed out. Still what matters most is how well New Zealand did in the big tournaments, and 2015 being the year of the World Cup, it would be criminal to not mention McCullum's record in the marquee event. En route the final, New Zealand played eight games winning every single one of those. Tragically they lost the final to a confident Australia in the latter's backyard. That one defeat may have been heartbreaking for New Zealand, but it must be remembered that this was nevertheless the first time the Kiwi side even made it to the final in the first place. It would be silly to deny McCullum's role as leader in New Zealand achieving this. Hence, it is safe to conclude that McCullum was worthy winner of the leadership award for his performances in that year that's gone by. (Rishad D’Souza, a reporter with CricketCountry, gave up hopes of playing Test cricket after a poor gully-cricket career. He now reports on the sport. You can follow @RDcric on Twitter)