A part of world woke up to shock on Tuesday; finding out Brendon McCullum has announced his retirement from international cricket, which will be in effect from February 2016. This means that the New Zealand skipper will not play ICC World Twenty20 that starts the month after. This may defy logic — McCullum stands head and shoulders above any other batsman in the world in T20Is — but Baz put the ‘blame’ on his romanticism with New Zealand. He will retire after the second Test against Australia at his adopted home in Christchurch. He said, “I think there’s something pretty romantic about finishing playing cricket in front of New Zealand crowds and in New Zealand grounds.” Read:Brendon McCullum to quit international cricket following Test series against Australia
That is fair enough, but isn’t a world tournament the perfect stage to leave? McCullum has always done things differently and in an unconventional way. He may have his reasons but he will be sorely missed by New Zealand in the World T20 that will be staged in India starting March. Read: Brendon McCullum to retire: Twitter reactions
Back in 2008, when the world curiously awaited the inaugural edition of IPL, McCullum set it ablaze on the very first day of the tournament when he smashed an unbeaten 158 from just 73 balls at Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore. Read: Brendon McCullum: One of the biggest impact players bows out of international cricket
Since then only a few have had the same impact as McCullum in the game’s shortest format. With 2,140 runs, he is the highest run-getter in T20Is. He averages 35.66 and has a strike rate of 136.2. McCullum is the only cricketer who has scored two T20I hundreds. Add to that the fact that he is the third highest run-scorer in the format (international and domestic) itself.
In ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, McCullum led New Zealand to the final for the first time in their history. He scored 328 runs at 36.44, but those runs came at a strike-rate of 188.5. Most often he set the game in the first few overs of the match. The damage he can inflict in the first 6 overs of a T20 match can change the game. New Zealand do not have a back-up for McCullum in that aspect (for that matter, no side does). It’s not too late yet; McCullum can still decide to play the marquee event for the sake of the side that he has taken pains to build.
McCullum, the package: It is not just for his belligerent batting that he is feared. McCullum is a complete package. Starting as a brilliant wicketkeeper, he is one of the best fielders and one of the most attacking captains the game has witnessed.
Back injury forced him to give up wicketkeeping, but the way he throws himself around the field highlights his commitment. As leader he sets examples with right attitude and New Zealand have only benefitted from that. YouTube is filled with videos depicting McCullum’s acrobatics. McCullum has played 99 continuous Tests since debut so far and that’s a testimony to his fitness.
Richard Hadlee used these words to describe McCullum’s leadership, not too long ago: “It’s fair to say, that in my career of 18 years through the 1970s and the 1980s, I didn’t play under a captain as aggressive as Brendon. I had some good captains, but Brendon is something a little bit special at the moment.
“When you’re aggressive and proactive, it can be high risk, it can backfire. At this stage it hasn’t. But, what he is saying to his bowlers, and if I had a captain like that what he would be saying to me is, I back you. I’ll give you the field that you need to get wickets, and do the job. That would’ve been nice in my time, although it didn’t happen.”
McCullum has remained undaunted by opposition’s reputation and is a bowler’s captain. You don’t see many captains employ four or five slips in today’s cricket; McCullum does.
In World Cup 2015, McCullum’s over-aggressive field settings benefitted his bowlers. Tim Southee bowled a dream spell of 7 for 33 at Wellington against England. Southee hailed his skipper post the win: “It’s an attitude thing I think we get from Brendon himself, the way he throws himself around in the field. And if he’s doing that, it’s standard for the rest of the team to follow.”
The start wasn’t that smooth when Ross Taylor was removed from captaincy somewhat controversially in end-2012. McCullum was given the reins. Those were trying times for New Zealand cricket, and things looked to fall apart. McCullum bound the side and built a world-class unit. In terms of win percentage, he is already New Zealand’s most successful Test captain with percentage is 37.93; the ones who come next are Geoff Howarth (36.66) and Stephen Fleming (35). Also among captains who have led New Zealand in more than seven ODIs, McCullum’s success rate of 59.43 percent is the best.
Spending the start of the career with an astute tactician like Fleming has helped him grow as a leader. The two have spent time in Chennai Super Kings camp as well, and are together part of a business venture as well.
“Make my son, McCullum”: Predominantly a rugby-loving nation, cricket is the second sport in New Zealand. But in recent times cricket did have its glory moments. I caught up with Dilan Raj during the end stages of the World Cup. Raj is the Cricket Development Manager in Wanganui, a part of Central Districts Cricket. Raj, who himself has represented Matabeleland in First-Class cricket in Zimbabwe in the late 1990s, has been a part of New Zealand cricket for many years.
According to Raj, now a renowned coach, New Zealand cricket’s rise resulted in a serious rise in youngsters taking up the sport. ““It’s incredible to see how kids are flocking to the game because of their new heroes. The kids mainly watch on TV and the performances [by New Zealand side] have made a big difference. We have new kids wanting to sign up even though it’s the end of the cricket season. You know it’s really catching on when mothers phone to register their wards. Number of parents now watch their kids rather than just drop them off and pickup later. Also amazing is the cross culture of ethnicities that participate,” Raj said ahead of the World Cup final.
Raj attributed McCullum’s leadership and attitude as the reason for the nation’s phenomenal growth of interest in the game. He summed up: “McCullum has been a top player. World class. He is like a God at the moment. Every kid wants to be like him. The inspirational efforts of the new national heroes have made parents enrol their kids to academies, even at the end of the cricket season. For a rugby nation, cricket is having its moment in the sun. Thanks to Baz.”
McCullum will play a few more matches and as of now (the day he has announced his retirement) his stats read.
|
Format |
M |
R |
HS |
Ave |
SR |
100s |
50s |
| Tests |
99 |
6273 |
302 |
38.48 |
63.7 |
11 |
31 |
| ODIs |
254 |
5909 |
166 |
30.30 |
95.0 |
5 |
31 |
| T20Is |
71 |
2140 |
123 |
35.66 |
136.2 |
2 |
13 |
While during achieving these numbers McCullum provided sheer entertainment, his contribution to the sport is much beyond. 25-year-old Kane Williamson, who recently became the No. 1 batsman in ICC Test rankings, has large boots to fill as leader and inspirer. Williamson has spent considerable amount of time under McCullum and grown as a cricketer as well as leader.
Well done, Baz; and good luck to the very able Kane.
(Suvajit Mustafi consumes cricket for lunch, fiction for dinner and munches numerous other snacks throughout the day. Yes, a jack of several trades, all Suvajit dreamt of was being India’s World Cup winning skipper but ended up being a sports writer, author, screenwriter, director, copywriter, graphic designer, sports marketer , strategist, entrepreneur, philosopher and traveller. Donning so many hats, it’s cricket which gives him the ultimate high and where he finds solace. He can be followed at @RibsGully and rivu7)
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