It was the first-ever match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Brendon McCullum set it ablaze with an unbeaten 158 from 73 deliveries at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. It was fitting that 26-year old McCullum made his IPL debut for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) under Sourav Ganguly — one of India’s finest and aggressive captains.
A year prior, in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007, McCullum blasted the fastest fifty of the World Cup. He had scored it 20 balls against Canada. And in this edition, he bettered that feat when he blasted one of 18 balls against England in Wellington.
Cricketers usually mellow down with time, but with McCullum the opposite is true. McCullum took over from Ross Taylor as the New Zealand skipper in December 2012 amid tumultuous times for New Zealand cricket. There was a rift in the camp and there were chances that Taylor would not have played again for New Zealand. However, senses returned and the board apologised to the star batsman and the team management worked it out together for the betterment of the national team. (Read: Australia vs New Zealand, road to the final)
Taylor was the poster boy and thought could take their cricket to greater heights, whereas the muscular McCullum wasn’t really seen by many as the ideal leader. But he proved wrong his critics wrong — and how! (Read: New Zealand vs Australia in past World Cup matches)
Having seen his leadership, and especially in the ongoing World Cup, what needs to be asked is: Has cricket seen a more aggressive leader? McCullum has taken to captaincy like duck to water. Not only has he led New Zealand cerebrally but he has also excelled as a performer.
McCullum’s ODI stats
| M | Runs | Avge | HS | SR | 100s/50s | |
| Overall | 248 | 5808 | 30.7 | 166 | 94.5 | 5/31 |
| As captain | 50 | 1612 | 35.8 | 119 | 114.8 | 2/12 |
McCullum’s Test stats
| M | Runs | Avge | HS | SR | 100s/50s | |
| Overall | 92 | 5870 | 38.9 | 302 | 62.7 | 11/28 |
| As captain | 22 | 1772 | 49.2 | 302 | 69.1 | 5/4 |
In the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, McCullum has re-defined aggression. Be it employing four slips to attack or even going ballistic with the bat early-on, he even went ahead and employed a slip to the attacking South African batsman David Miller in the batting Powerplay overs.
McCullum has scored 328 runs in the tournament at an average of 41, and scored four fifties. But what’s bizarre is the fact that only once in his eight innings has he stayed in the wicket past eight overs. That reflects in his strike-rate, which is 191.8! He has belted 44 boundaries and 17 maximums, which is incredible. With the bat, he brings back memories of Sanath Jayasuriya from the 1996 World Cup. In fact, Jayasuriya averaged 36.8 and his strike rate was 131.5. Now that has been a difference between New Zealand and the other sides in the competition. (Read: Australia vs New Zealand, an intense sibling rivalry where nothing else matters than ‘win’)
Should he carry his bat in a one-dayer, a triple hundred is an eminent possibility. Triple hundred or not, the Kiwi fans will hope for McCullum to bat as long as possible in the World Cup final on Sunday. And if he does that, the size of Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) won’t matter much and the Kiwis will be in striking distance from the World Cup. It’s the biggest game of his life and he needs to approach it with a balance of aggression and slight caution. (Read: The mood in New Zealand: “Make my child, the next Brendon McCullum”)
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