The man behind Bazball: Brendon McCullum

They say that a batsman’s power is natural. Some people are gifted with extra power while some rely more on timing. Players like Virender Sehwag, Hardik Pandya, Chris Gayle are the prominent examples of the category that count on power. While on the other hand, players like Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Joe Root fall in the bracket of pure class. One such batsmen, who falls in the former category, who was known for his huge build and insane power was New Zealand’s GOAT- Brendon McCullum, commonly called as Baz. He was a right handed batter and a wicket keeper.

McCullum played a massive role in the development of sport in New Zealand. His captaincy was also commendable. Even though he couldn’t lift any ICC trophy, his style of leadership and his achievements in bilateral series were quite good. After his retirement as well, he is making a huge impact in the field. He is changing the way test cricket is perceived across the globe. His theory suggests that cricket should be played in an attacking manner unlike the old fashioned way. Hence young English men are following that tempo in red ball cricket and even showing the huge difference.Before this, nobody could imagine such aggression batting, or such aggressive field placements in test cricket. But it’s visionary McCullum who is the root cause behind England’s dominance. He is the one who is driving the world into a different domain of red

Early life and domestic cricket 

Born on 27 September 1981, Brendon started playing cricket because of his father- Stuart James McCullum, a former player who played for Otago. His elder brother, Nathan McCullum too used to play cricket for New Zealand. 

Junior McCullum played domestic cricket for Otago and Canterbury. His notable performance in State Shield and other domestic tournaments earned him a national call when he was 22 years old.

International career of Brendon McCullum

McCullum made his ODI debut on 17 January 2002 V Australia. After two years, he made his Test debut on 10 March, 2004 V South Africa. Lastly, he made his  T20I debut on 17 February, 2005 V Australia. 

His style of playing was way ahead of his time. He used to come as an opener and smash balls here and there, creating havoc in the field. It wasn’t just his strike rate that impressed everyone but the power with which he used to smash the ball. His ability to hit the ball so hard was what made him a great player. If young players want to learn the art of power hitting, they should study the technique with which McCullum played. His bat swing was smooth like butter and his stance was rock solid. The technique with which he used to lift the ball was perfect. 

Notable achievements in McCullum’s career 

• Captained New Zealand in all formats
• First player to score 2000 runs in T20I
• First New Zealander to score triple century in a test match against India in February 2014
• First New Zealander to score 1,000 test runs in a calendar year 
• Fastest test century in 54 balls in his last test match 
• First batsman to score two T20I
  

Retirement 

On 24 February , 2016 he retired from all formats of the game. He played his last test on 20 February, 2016 V Australia , last ODI on 8 February, 2016 V Australia and last T20I on 23 June, 2015 V England. 

International career stats

IPL, BBL and club cricket 

McCullum has been a regular member in the IPL and Indian fans love seeing him bat. Initially, he was picked by Kolkata Knight Riders. He played for them from 2008 till 2010 and then again from 2012 till 2013. In the gap year, that is in 2011, he represented Kochi Tuskers Kerala.

In the 2014 edition, Chennai Super Kings picked the New Zealander and he continued his stint with the franchise for 2 seasons. In 2016 again he switched sides and was then bought by Gujarat Lions. Finally, in his last season, he played for Royal Challengers

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Interestingly, despite all the shuffling, his performance remained constant. Overall, he played 109 matches and scored 2880 runs with an average of 27.79. He has two hundreds and 13 fifties by his name. 

In Big Bash League, Brendon has played for Brisbane Heat in 2011-12 and in the 2018-19 season. Apart from franchise cricket, he played a lot of games at Club level in England. He has played for Glamorgan, New South Wales, Sussex, Warwickshire, Middlesex there 

Awards and achievements 

Brendon McCullum was appointed as an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to cricket. He Won New Zealand sportsman of the year in 2014 and Sports New Zealand Leadership Award in 2016. 

Coaching career

After retiring from international cricket, Brendon decided to contribute to the sport by becoming a mentor/ coach. He started his coaching stint with Trinbago Knight Riders in Caribbean Premier League in 2020. His efficiency was evident as the side lifted the 4th CPL title. 

In 2020, Kolkata Knight Rider’s management showed faith in their ex player and recruited him as the head coach. He fulfilled his duties till 2022 season. 

Then in May 2022, he got a big break as he was appointed as the head coach of test of England Cricket Team. Due to his presence, England men were successfully able to show the world the tactics of ‘bazball’. The win percentage of the national team improved significantly as well.