Brendon McCullum: Dazzling and versatile both sides of the sticks
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| As an entertainer, Brendon McCullum has few peers in modern cricket. |
ONE-DAY WORLD CUP BATTING: Matches 34, Innings 27, Not Out 5, Highest Score 101, Runs 742, Average 33.72, Strike-rate 120.84, 100 1, 50s 6, Catches 32, Stumpings 2
Proficient with the big gloves, brilliant fielder without them, explosive with the bat, able to open the batting or dazzle in the middle-order, Brendon McCullum was pugnacious as well as versatile. His pyrotechnics in the very first match of the Twenty20 Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008 will forever remain etched in memory. He built up a fine record: nearly 6,500 runs in Tests at an average of close to 39 and a strike-rate of nearly 65, with 179 dismissals and 30 more catches as fielder; more than 6,000 runs in One-dayers at an average exceeding 30 and a strike-rate of over 96, with 262 dismissals plus 35 catches in the field. These are figures of a top-flight wicketkeeper-batsman, one of the finest cricketers to emerge from New Zealand.
Having sat out of the first match in the 2003 World Cup, McCullum only came in at no. 8 as the West Indies had them in strife at 147 for six after 32.2 overs. The 21-year-old helped Chris Harris add 41, and then allied with the belligerent Andre Adams in a crucial undefeated 53-run stand which took his side’s total to a respectable 241 for seven. McCullum’s unbeaten 36 came off 53 deliveries, and he struck one boundary. West Indies were bowled out for 221, leaving McCullum with pleasant memories of his World Cup debut.
A superb unconquered century by skipper Stephen Fleming in a rain-interrupted innings carried the Kiwis to a nine-wicket win over the Proteas. McCullum snapped up his first two catches in the premier event, sending back the openers Graeme Smith and centurion Herschelle Gibbs off the pacemen Shane Bond and Jacob Oram.
The match against Kenya was forfeited as New Zealand declined to travel to Nairobi due to security concerns. The Kiwis beat Bangladesh easily by seven wickets. McCullum now took three catches, continuing his association with the same bowlers. Canada did not stretch them much and McCullum again allied with the two seamers to bag a catch each for them.
In the super-six game against Zimbabwe, there was a catch, this time off Chris Cairns. Bond was on fire in the face-off with Trans-Tasman rivals Australia at Port Elizabeth, and McCullum was in the frame with two catches off the speedster. Brett Lee’s return burst sent New Zealand packing, McCullum being trapped leg-before for 1. India were too good and McCullum, promoted to no. 5, was bowled for 4.
The young wicketkeeper had done a competent job, picking up 9 catches. He played one significant innings, which was an important element in the eventual victory. A budding career was waiting to flower.
New Zealand upstaged the English by six wickets in their opening encounter in 2007. McCullum snapped up Edmund Joyce (0) and Ian Bell (5) off James Franklin and Oram respectively. Later he caught the dogged Paul Collingwood and Jamie Dalrymple off Scott Styris. Kenya were trounced but McCullum was dismissed for just 6 and did not take a catch.
A John Davison-inspired Canada put up a spirited fight. McCullum joined Oram at 278 for five at the end of the 43rd over. After Oram had hit Davison for a six over long-off, McCullum swept left-arm spinner Kevin Sandher on top of the Beusejour Stadium stand, and skied the last ball of the over above long-on for another six. In the next over, he tickled Anderson Cummins, the former West Indies paceman, to the fine-leg boundary. Sunil Dhaniram, another left-arm tweaker sent down a full-toss, which McCullum launched over square-leg for his third six. Oram lofted Cummins for a straight six. In the final over McCullum rocketed Dhaniram for two more on-side sixes to raise the fastest fifty of the World Cup off a mere 20 deliveries, quicker than two Mark Boucher efforts in the same tournament. Oram teed off another six over extra-cover off the penultimate delivery. The unfinished partnership was worth 85 runs in 7 overs. McCullum was unbeaten with 52 off 21 balls, comprising those 5 sixes and a sole boundary. New Zealand piled up 363. Canada did well to total 249, McCullum pouching a catch off Daniel Vettori.
It was at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua where the West Indies received a drubbing from the Kiwis in their super-eight clash. Having put up a half-century stand with Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan drove at Oram only to manage a thick inside-edge which flew down the leg-side, McCullum bringing off a spectacular catch. Soon, Oram got one to leap and take Marlon Samuels’ glove, for McCullum to hold on. Gayle played on to Oram in his next over. Brian Lara and Dwayne Bravo staged a 47-run rescue act but Bond had the latter edging into the gloves of McCullum. Then it was the big wicket. With McCullum standing up to the stumps, Lara tried to swing Scott Styris on the on-side, inside-edged it and McCullum brought off a fine catch. McCullum had a hand in four of the previous five dismissals, and the West Indies slipped to 177 all out. The Kiwis coasted to a seven-wicket win.
The Bangladesh openers were off to a steady start, but with Tamim Iqbal stepping out to paceman Oram in the quest to boost the scoring-rate, McCullum decided to come up to the stumps. The fifty was raised in the 16th over, and in the next over Tamim stretched to pull off an inventive shot off Oram on the leg-side, missed and McCullum whipped off the bails in a trice. His move had paid off; the left-hander departed. In Oram’s next over, the other opener Javed Omar tried to cut, only to edge it to McCullum. The Bangladesh innings never really took off, and New Zealand raced to a nine-wicket triumph.
McCullum got another opportunity to bat against the other surprise qualifiers Ireland. Coming in at 172 for five, he soon saw his side slip to 189 for seven in 42.3 overs. Joined by the left-handed James Franklin, the pair upped the ante, initially in well-run ones and twos, to the extent that there were no boundaries in 11 overs up to the end of the 47th. Then there was a flurry in the last three. Franklin struck the captain Trent Johnston for two successive fours, and McCullum lofted his pull to the fence. Franklin struck Kevin O’Brien for a four and a six in the penultimate over. McCullum replicated it off Johnston. He drove through the covers and then bludgeoned a straight six to crack a glass screen in the pavilion. He holed out off the fourth delivery for 47, scored off 37 deliveries. New Zealand totalled 283 for eight. Then in the second over of the Irish innings, Bond induced an edge from Jeremy Bray’s blade, and McCullum snapped it up. Later Eoin Morgan snicked one from Oram into the gloves of McCullum. Ireland packed up for 134.
By now most of McCullum’s work was over. The formidable Sri Lankans registered a comfortable win. Magical Muralitharan trapped McCullum leg-before for 1. Though McCullum snapped up Sanath Jayasuriya off Oram, it was not before a 100-run second-wicket stand with another classy left-hander Kumar Sangakkara.
The Kiwis did well to beat the Proteas. McCullum scored 4 not out in the five-wicket victory. The Aussies were too good, McCullum falling for 7. New Zealand, though, made it to the semi-finals, but again Sri Lanka packed too many guns. This time Murali had McCullum caught for a duck.
McCullum played a couple of belligerent knocks, finishing with a strike-rate of 134.48, and was always superb behind the sticks with 14 victims to his credit. New Zealand have always performed creditably in the World Cup without being brilliant. McCullum was invariably at hand to answer the call of duty.
In another campaign going right up to the semi-finals in 2011, McCullum was designated to open the innings. As a Kenyan team in decline crashed to 69 all out in 23.5 overs, McCullum snapped up their captain Jimmy Kamande off Oram. He brought up a ten-wicket win along with Martin Guptill in a mere 8 overs. McCullum was unbeaten with 26 off 17 deliveries with 4 fours.
Seemingly in a hurry, McCullum swung his willow against some fast, short-pitched Aussie bowling, particularly from Shaun Tait, clattering 3 boundaries. Then he slashed at the speedster, only to be caught at third-man. His 16 had come off 12 balls, and the Aussies never really gave much of a chance, cantering to a seven-wicket victory in 34 overs.
McCullum and Guptill coasted to another ten-wicket win, this time against Zimbabwe. Guptill began with 2 fours and a six in the first over, then another six in the fifth over. McCullum struck his first six in the 15th over. The hundred came up in 22.4 overs, and McCullum reached his fifty with a straight four off his 74th delivery. He pull-drove his second six in the 32nd over, and victory came two overs later. McCullum scored 76 off 95 balls with 6 fours and 2 sixes; Guptill scored 86 off 108 deliveries with 7 fours and 2 sixes.
Shoaib Akhtar’s third delivery of the match was a no-ball. McCullum bludgeoned the re-bowled free-hit over mid-wicket for a six. The next ball darted in sharply and took his off-stump. Ross Taylor waded into the Pakistani attack, the Kiwis totalling 302 for seven, and then bowling themselves to a 110-run win.
The valiant triers from Canada bore the brunt of McCullum’s punishing blade once again. The ball flew all over the Wankhede Stadium. The opening stand realized 53 runs in 9.5 overs, of which Guptill’s contribution was 17. Jesse Ryder joined in another belligerent partnership. McCullum’s fifty came off 38 balls, by which time he had struck 9 fours and a six. When Ryder fell to John Davison, the pair had added 96 runs in just under 20 overs. McCullum raised his hundred off 107 deliveries. He was soon gone for 101, having played 2 more balls, and blasted 12 fours and 2 sixes in all. Later, Ross Taylor’s pyrotechnics saw him rocketing 4 sixes and a four in an over off Harvir Baidwan. There was a jamboree with a flood of fours and sixes, most notably 4 boundaries off another Baidwan over, and Franklin’s 3 sixes and 2 fours in the last over bowled by Rizwan Cheema. The Canadian bowlers were getting into the record books for the wrong reasons. New Zealand piled up 358 for six. After early setbacks, Canada did well to total 261 for nine. So far McCullum was pouching the odd catch in a match. Here he held a succession of them. Hiral Patel was going after the bowlers until he edged a pull off Oram into the gloves of McCullum. Then followed a heart-warming 125-run stand between skipper Ashish Bagai and Jimmy Hansra. A cramping Bagai nicked Nathan McCullum, and brother Brendon completed the dismissal. Not long after, Cheema dabbed Oram on the off-side and McCullum brought off a splendid diving catch. He picked up the man-of-the-match prize too.
The Kiwis were upstaged in a Sangakkara-Jayawardene-Muralitharan show. The Lankans put up 265 for nine, with McCullum holding catches off Styris and Oram. McCullum and Guptill seemed on course, but McCullum fell for 14 off 16 deliveries, having struck 2 fours. His partner followed soon and New Zealand folded up for 153.
Though New Zealand stunned South Africa in the quarter-final, both openers fell cheaply. As Oram dazzled in the field, McCullum held a late catch off him, and the Kiwis were through by 49 runs.
Facing Sri Lanka again in the semi-final, McCullum departed for 13, and his side was not good enough to break through this stage yet again. Sangakkara was man-of-the-match once more, this time as much for his wicketkeeping as for his batting.
On the face of it, McCullum had done a fine job with the bat, scoring 256 runs in 8 matches at an average of 42.66 and a strike-rate of 92.41. But his big scores came against the weaker sides. What must not be forgotten, however, is that he was fulfilling a crucial dual role, which added depth to the batting and gave the side the option of including an extra bowler. As always he was efficient, and often brilliant, behind the stumps with his 9 dismissals. Overall, he was third at the time among wicketkeepers in the World Cup with 32 dismissals.
Captain in 2015, having shed the wicketkeeping gauntlets, and still batting at the top of the order, McCullum blazed with the willow. He gave a flying start to the tournament on home turf at Hagley Oval, Christchurch, which became the 100th venue to host World Cup matches. McCullum struck boundaries in each of the first three overs off the Sri Lankans. Guptill too warmed up with two fours of his own. McCullum was in his elements in the 8th over delivered by Lasith Malinga. He swung the first to the ropes at fine leg. The next was a no-ball which McCullum turned to the mid-wicket fence. He made full use of the free hit, sending the ball soaring over long-on into the stands. After two quiet deliveries, he steered to the pickets wide of third-man. The last one was full, and despatched to the skirting at mid-wicket. He carried on in belligerent mode, raising his half-century off 35 balls. The hundred came up in 13.2 overs. McCullum was caught on the long-off boundary, having slammed 65 from 49 deliveries, and blasted a six and 4 fours. The partnership realized 111 runs in 15.5 overs. Aided by the class of Kane Williamson and the pyrotechnics of Corey Anderson, the Kiwis logged 331 for six. The Lankans were in the hunt for not too long, and folded up for 233.
New Zealand made heavy weather of a small target of 143 set by the Scots, losing seven wickets before wrapping up the game. McCullum scored 15 off 12 deliveries with 3 fours before he was caught behind.
England were rolled over for 123, with Tim Southee snaring seven for 33. The Wellington crowd was regaled by scintillating hitting from McCullum. Facing his second delivery, McCullum slashed Stuart Broad high above point for a six. He lofted the last three balls of that over for boundaries. In the next over he slammed James Anderson for two successive fours. McCullum took on Steven Finn in the succeeding over. He rocketed the first over cover for six. The next was short and McCullum got under it and tapped it over the backstop to the ropes. The fourth was pulled for a boundary and the fifth sent sailing over long-off for another six. Finn was back in the firing line. Guptill had already despatched his first ball to the square-leg fence. Finn bounced the third, and McCullum sent it over point for a six, racing to the fastest fifty in the World Cup off a mere 18 balls, and third fastest ever in One-day Internationals. He stepped out to the following delivery and sent it flying over extra-cover for a six once more. McCullum deposited the next beyond long-off for another six, and hit the last straight for a fourth consecutive six. A boundary to mid-wicket off Anderson raised the hundred of the innings in 6.4 overs. As Chris Woakes came on, McCullum played on to his first delivery. His blistering 77 off 25 deliveries was studded with 7 sixes and 8 fours. The spectacular hitting left the spectators satiated. The opening partnership of 105 runs took just 7.1 overs. New Zealand were victors by eight wickets, with just 12.2 overs bowled.
The face-off between the Trans-Tasman rivals and joint hosts was a humdinger in which left-arm pacemen ran amok. Trent Boult bagged five for 27 as Australia were bowled out for 151. McCullum, though, was in his elements once again. Guptill set the tone as he smoked the first no-ball for a four and the first legitimate delivery for a six off Mitchell Johnson. McCullum was not one to be left behind, tonking the second ball from the other Mitchell, Starc, over extra-cover for a six, and lofted the fifth over long-off to the fence. Johnson continued, and McCullum blazed on. The first was full and McCullum sent it soaring over point for a six, and hit the next high over extra-cover to the pickets. He slashed the fifth to the third-man boundary. Starc dismissed Guptill for 11; it was 40 for one after 3.5 overs. Kane Williamson was in, and both batsmen helped themselves to boundaries in the next over from Johnson. After another boundary off Starc, McCullum waded into Johnson, smacking 4.6.4, and then placing a single to cover. That hoisted his fifty off just 21 balls. It was the joint third-fastest in the World Cup, the record in 18 deliveries shattered by him in the previous match. He was caught at mid-off by Starc off Pat Cummins without adding to his 50. He had hammered 3 sixes and 7 fours. At 72 for two after 7.4 overs, New Zealand seemed to be sailing. But Starc struck back with two wickets in the next over. Kane Williamson batted skilfully even as wickets tumbled all around him. As Starc ripped out two wickets in the 23rd over, New Zealand slumped to 146 for nine. Williamson guided his team to a heart-stopping victory with a six over long-on. Starc finished with six for 28. This was the sixth instance of a one-wicket triumph in the World Cup. It was a different match before and after McCullum’s innings. The New Zealand skipper was in a zone of his own.
Afghanistan could muster only 186 runs. McCullum was not going to let go of the opportunity of feasting on their bowling. He finished the first over from Dawlat Zadran with two sizzling boundaries. After Guptill played a maiden, McCullum carved two more fours in Hamid Hassan’s over. The two batsmen clouted a couple of boundaries off Shapoor Zadran. McCullum hammered Mohammad Nabi square on the off-side to the pickets and pulled him over mid-wicket for a six. He tried to pull again but was bowled off the edge. His 42 occupied just 19 deliveries, and he slammed a six and 6 fours. It was 53 for one in 5.5 overs. New Zealand cruised to a six-wicket win.
McCullum scored just 8 as New Zealand registered a hard-earned three-wicket triumph over Bangladesh.
As Guptill hammered the West Indies bowlers for his record unbeaten 237 in the quarter-final, McCullum hit a four and a six and departed for 12 off 8 balls. It was a huge win for New Zealand.
South Africa posted a challenging 281 for five in their 43 overs in the rain-curtailed semi-final. The Duckworth-Lewis method deemed that New Zealand needed to score 298 in 43 overs. It was a huge task in a high-pressure match. McCullum was off to a flyer. He bludgeoned Dale Steyn over the covers for a six. Then he turned his attention on Vernon Philander, hooking him for another six, pulled the next for a four and sent the last to the long-leg boundary. Another lofted four through the covers off Steyn was followed by an assault on Morne Morkel. He pull-drove the first over mid-on to the fence, then pulled to the mid-wicket boundary. In the next over, McCullum simply launched into Steyn. The first was sent soaring for a straight six, another was despatched to the long-off boundary and the next hooked into the crowd. It was another hurricane half-century in 22 balls. A glance and an exquisite cover-drive fetched two more boundaries. He had smashed the great fast bowler for 24 runs in the over. Guptill was hardly in evidence thus far, and he saw off a maiden over from Imran Tahir. Morkel came back to have McCullum caught by Steyn at mid-on. It may not exactly have been poetic justice, but certainly relief for the Proteas. McCullum, though had set up a huge platform with his blistering 59 off 26 deliveries, smashing 4 sixes and 8 fours. New Zealand were 71 for one in 6.1 overs. Thanks to Grant Elliott and Corey Anderson, New Zealand pulled off a heart-stopping four-wicket win with 1 delivery to spare. Had it not been for McCullum’s whirlwind knock, this triumph would have been well-nigh impossible. New Zealand won the first of their six World Cup semi-finals.
The final was a one-sided affair. McCullum was bowled by Starc for a duck, and New Zealand totalled just 183. Australia romped home by seven wickets, wresting the Cup for the fifth time. It was, nevertheless, an extraordinary tournament for McCullum with a strike-rate of 188.50 for his 328 runs with four dazzling fifties. The foundation of New Zealand’s great run to the final was based on the awesome, often breathtaking, hitting of captain McCullum.
His overall strike-rate of 120.84 is fourth-highest in the World Cup. He has two of the fastest half-centuries, and four of the quickest nine, in the premier event. He has the fourth-highest dismissals and fifth-highest catches as wicketkeeper, despite not donning the gloves in 2015.
Brendon McCullum will be ranked among the most scintillating hitters in Limited-overs cricket. He will to go down in the annals of New Zealand cricket as one of their greatest. As an entertainer, he has few peers in modern cricket. McCullum was worth going miles to see, the cliché adorning him like few others. That indeed is his hallmark.
