Make no mistake, when Brendon McCullum packs his bat away in the loft and hangs up his gloves in February next year, international cricket will lose one of its finest players.
Not only has McCullum been at the forefront of revolutionising the game as it entered the brave new world of T20 cricket but he also conducted himself in a manner befitting cricket’s proud reputation as ‘the gentleman’s game’.
It was not always the case for the Kiwi ‘keeper who courted controversy in his formative years as a combative character on the field.
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A standout example was his claiming of a catch off Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan in 2010 that didn’t sit well with the cricket community.
However, as soon as McCullum became Black Caps captain across all three formats in 2013 – and ever since that moment in 2010 – he became an exemplary figure.
As a leader with the bat and gloves, McCullum has been fierce.
His ability to tear apart the best bowling attacks in the world, regardless of situation, form or the format is truly awe inspiring.
His 6,273 runs from 99 Test matches (his 100th successive match since his debut in 2004 will be a record), 5,909 runs in 254 ODIs, 2,140 in 71 T20Is and 18 centuries highlight his status as a great of his generation.
Toss in his 488 international catches and 34 stumpings and you see he’s not a bad glovesman either.
Brendon McCullum has been good for cricket and he has enriched it. In doing so he has raised the esteem his country’s cricket is held in.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) December 22, 2015
And as a leader McCullum certainly led from the front, his aggressive approach to batting rubbing off on any side under his guidance that was underpinned by a respect for opposition and the sport that any fan can get on board with.
The way McCullum and his charges dealt with the tragic death of Phillip Hughes last November showed his class and he openly admitted that the series changed the way his side went about playing their cricket.
Bold, brash, full of vim and vigour, the style of McCullum’s New Zealand was exciting and took them to a World Cup final on shared soil with eventual winners Australia earlier this year.
But not only were the dashing nature of their performances catching the eye, so was their equal humility in victory and defeat.
A thrilling win over Australia in the pools – inspired by McCullum’s 54 from 24 balls – sparked wild celebrations, but only after congratulating their rivals on their part in a one-wicket win for McCullum’s men.
Equally, their humbling defeat to Australia in the final – in which McCullum dramatically failed with the bat – saw them congratulated Michael Clarke’s men with honesty.
As with everything McCullum has done over the past five years of his career, nothing was forced, nothing was fake, nothing was taken for granted.
Now, with the highest Test win ratio of any New Zealand captain (37.93), sitting second on his country’s list of all-time Test run-scorers and an equal high amount of sixes in the longest format (level with fellow big-hitting ‘keeper Adam Gilchrist), McCullum will bow out and be recognised for the exceptional player he is.
Observers will rightly laud him for his impact on the game while McCullum will remain understated, unassuming and focussed on one last Test series victory over Australia.
And it will come as no surprise if McCullum exits the international stage with a bang by blowing away the old enemy.
