Brendon McCullum, the New Zealand captain, retired from international cricket after the match in which he broke the record for the fastest ever Test hundred.
This performance from the outgoing Kiwi skipper left many wondering as to why is the aggressive batsman retiring when he is still capable of scoring runs, and scoring them at a brisk pace.
But contrary to the larger opinion, McCullum believes that the time was right for him to step away.
The ending wasn’t very ceremonious for McCullum either, as New Zealand slumped to a seven-wicket defeat at the hands of their Trans-Tasman rivals, Australia, in the second and the final Test of the series.
But the Black Caps captain made sure that he left his everlasting impression on the game, even in his final match.
He made 144 off 79 balls in the first innings, which included the fastest Test match ton- in 54 balls- and brisked away to 25 off 27 before being caught brilliantly by David Warner.
The Australian players received the NZ skipper with a guard of honour when he walked out to bat for the final time, and did not forget to shake his hands both after he got out and also after they had won the series and clinched the numero uno position in the Test rankings.
I’ve had a great time: McCullum
“It's not the ideal way to go out but at the same time, I've had a great time," McCullum said after the match. “We're obviously disappointed to lose the Test match and the series but the right team won.”
The 34-year-old added, “The time's right. I came to that realisation when I made the decision and I knew I could steel myself for another couple of challenges.
“Hopefully, I've left and brought some fun and enjoyment and some real culture back into the set-up in the time that I've had as (the) captain.
“When someone's career winds down, other cricketers want to show their respects in some way as well. You never foresee that level of respect that Steve Smith and the Australian team showed with that guard of honour would ever eventuate.”
McCullum bows out with several records in his kitty. Apart from holding the record for the fastest hundred, he also has the maximum number of sixes in Test cricket- another record that he created in his final Test. McCullum has hit 107 sixes from 101 Tests.
He is also the first and the only NZ batsman to score a triple century in Tests. He scored an unbeaten 302 against India in 2014.
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