Brendon McCullum has a great sense of occasion, be it his 50th or farewell Test or his first Indian Premier League game, the swashbuckling Kiwi leaves his mark like no other.
His Test debut was relatively a quiet affair yet he ended up with 57 runs off 86 balls against South Africa in 2004. But it was his 158-run blast for Kolkata Knight Riders in the opening game of the inaugural IPL, eight years ago, that created a tremor in the Twenty20 circuit.
His unbeaten knock came off 73 balls and contained 13 sixes and 10 fours.
McCullum carried that brand of attacking display to the five-day format as well which has seen him notch three double centuries and a triple century and also end up with the most number of sixes (106) in the history of Tests.
In his 50th Test in 2010 he creamed an unbeaten 185, then the highest by a New Zealand wicketkeeper batsman, to guide his team to a massive 221-run victory over Bangladesh in Hamilton.
It was typical of his ability to deliver on momentous occasions when he smashed a breathtaking 54-ball century in his last Test in front of his home fans at a packed Hagley Oval in Christchurch.
It was an extraordinary counterattacking innings by McCullum on a lively pitch with the Kiwis reeling at 74-4 in the 27th over.
For 19 overs thereafter it was absolute mayhem as McCullum took the Australian attack to the cleaners. When he was dismissed in the 46th over, the total was 253 with the Kiwi captain scoring 145 off the 179 runs raised for the fifth wicket.
It is just apt that the fastest Test centurion’s record that stood in Viv Richards’ name for 30 years bears McCullum’s name now.
Like the West Indies legend, the Kiwi also has a fearless and daring approach to batting.
No offence to Misbah-ul Haq, who equalled Richards’ mark two years ago in Abu Dhabi against Australia, but McCullum is the rightful heir to Richards’ record. Misbah has been a standout performer for Pakistan in Tests both as a player and captain but he does not seem to possess the daredevilry and excitement that Richards and McCullum bring to their batting across formats.
McCullum may lack the aura of his childhood hero ‘King’ Richards, but he is no less a cricketing royalty for his immaculate conduct while leading a resurgence in New Zealand cricket. He has overseen nine Test wins in the 17 matches New Zealand played over the last two years, losing five with three drawn.
Once considered as brash and arrogant, the Kiwi with a tattooed arm has also transformed himself to become one of the greatest ambassadors of the game. McCullum has played a big role in maintaining New Zealand’s friendly demeanour on the field where sledging is non-existent and all the aggression is channeled towards playing the game hard.
When the Aussies needled him ahead of the ongoing Test series criticising the Kiwis’ ‘nice guys image’, McCullum responded by pointing out that sledging never worked for his team and they made a conscious effort to keep their focus on the game by not indulging in something they were never good at. The popularity of McCullum was evident in the deluge of accolades that flowed from cricketers past and present after his record breaking feat. It may be his final Test but McCullum has already made a lasting impression.
