Published: Mar 28, 2015, 10:46 AM (IST)
Edited: Mar 28, 2015, 11:33 AM (IST)
Melbourne: “That reminds of the backyard doesn’t it” yelled a fan as Brendon McCullum was caught and bowled by his elder brother Nathan McCullum in the nets. He smirked as Nathan took the ball and went back to his mark; the crowd roared a bit in laughter. Amidst the pressure of preparing for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 final, New Zealand managed to have a fun-filled yet intense training session. Skipper Brendon led the way in a session where there were laughs, some banter and of course, the fans in attendance, who played the umpire on the odd occasion. If you weren’t there at the New Zealand training session at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Saturday, you missed something very special. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: SCHEDULE & MATCH DETAILS
The nets are set outside the MCG, on the concourse near Gate 1. It is set in the basement as the concourse becomes a viewing area for those interested. As a viewer, you can look down and get a complete view of the whole session. The numerous nets in place ensure that you are safe from the ball being smashed around. And, if there is someone like Brendon McCullum, you certainly need that. A large crowd was in attendance on the concourse and they had their “expert comments” to offer. All the focus was on the net closest to the fans and that is where all the fun happened. Top 10 batsmen in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015
Brendon walked into that net as Nathan took the ball. He charged at the first ball and hit it straight back at Nathan, who took the catch and threw it in the air. The crowd laughed and Brendon also took it sportingly with a smile. In the next few minutes, there was an interesting contest between them. Growing up in Dunedin, the brothers would have dreamt of playing the big game and a day before that, they had an encore of their backyard battles. McCullum smashed a few. Seeing a short ball, he smacked it to the leg-side. “That’s out!” Nathan yelled. McCullum shook his head and pointed to the meat of the bat. Top 10 bowlers in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015
Soon after, Tim Southee walked into that net with Nathan continuing to bowl. A few hits later, Nathan dished out a challenge to him. “You need six from two,” he said. Southee replied, “You’ll only be bowling one mate!” The crowd laughed, enjoying this candid training session. Brendon then came on to bowl his off-breaks. Southee attempted all the big shots in the world. For every shot, Brendon argued that Southee would be caught, who would then justify by saying things like, “Mid-on was up!” or “That’s six!” On one occasion, both turned to the crowd as they gave their own view of the shot. One of the support staff gave Southee throwdowns, who tried a late cut. Brendon raised his finger saying that he had got a deflection. Southee soon called for a review!” Top 10 fielders in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015
“They look incredibly relaxed, don’t they!” said a fan from Dunedin. Perhaps, it is a good sign ahead of the big game. With the captain feeling confidence and at ease, it rubs off on the team. At the pre-match press-conference, the skipper maintained that composure and the smile. “I think he [Nathan] won [the contest between the two], but I definitely had some mad successes as well, and that’s what’s more important, I think. It’s good game. It was good, entertaining training. The boys are in a nice relaxed state and enjoying themselves. Obviously, tomorrow is a huge occasion, but they’ve saved so well all the way through, a nice, relaxed, calm emotional state, and it will be the same tomorrow. We’ll go out there and just try to do our best,” Brendon said. Top 10 wicketkeepers in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015
ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Complete Coverage
(Nishad Pai Vaidya is a Correspondent with CricketCountry and anchor for the site’s YouTube Channel. His Twitter handle is @nishad_45)
