10 best match-winning knocks by Brendon McCullum

As one of the New Zealands greatest match-winner calls time on an illustrious career, we look back at some of the most outrageous knocks the Kiwi skipper has played to lead his team to some of the most unlikely victories.Since the list consists of match-winning knocks only, scores such as302 v/s Indiahave not been considered as the match ended in a draw.The Kiwi is in line to play 100 consecutive test matches without missing a single test for his country, overtaking superman Ab de Villiers record of playing the most consecutive matches since debut.McCullum also needs a singular hit over the rope to break the long-standing record byAdam Gilchrist for the most number of sixes by an individual in Test matches, the only record he cares about.

#1 69* vs India at Wellington, 2009 (T-20)

McCullum was on top of his game during the India series

An absolute masterclass from Baz as he stood at the crease right up to the end to set up a thrilling run chase from the Kiwi’s.

New Zealand seemed to be in complete control of the game up to the 18th over wherein Irfan Pathan snared up 2 wickets to get India right back into the game. From 28 required from the last 3 overs, the equation shifted to 23 off 2 overs and eventually 9 needed off the last 3 deliveries.

Earlier in the day, India posted 149 on the board largely due to a quick-fire 50 from southpaw Yuvraj Singh. 150 in trying conditions was always going to be a tough ask and New Zealand began solidly but lost the plot in the middle overs.

McCullum, though, stayed calm and composed right up to the end and was on strike to Irfan Pathan who had his tail up, conceding just 8 runs of his last 9 deliveries and accounting for 2 crucial wickets. The first ball was carved away over mid-wicket for a boundary followed by another, this one straight drive straight over the bowler’s head.

With the scores tied, McCullum miscued a pull shot to mid-off but it fell in no man’s territory as New Zealand pulled off a resounding win.

Just a game earlier, McCullum orchestrated another run chase of 162 runs with a composed 56* to win two consecutive Man of the Match awards as well as bagging the Man of the Series.

#2 47* vs Sri Lanka at Dambulla 2003 (ODI)

A young McCullum burst onto the scene with a match-winning knock against Sri Lanka

With McCullum still finding his feet in international cricket way back in 2003, perhaps one of his defining moments came in a low-scoring affair away at Sri Lanka. Needing a victory to keep their final hopes alive in the tri-series, New Zealand began the game in terrible fashion, floundering to 5-76 which bought McCullum at the crease.

He watched from the other end as the Kiwi’s slid further to 6-88 at the end of the 36th over. Baz, however, kept his cool and played what was perhaps the most sensible innings of his career. His 47* off 63 balls laden with 3 towering sixes may not be as characteristic of himself, but it ensured that New Zealand reached a defendable score of 156 in their allotted overs.

Vettori then came to the party with a wonderful spell of 4-14, but it would have all been in vain had in not been for McCullum’s gritty knock.

New Zealand won in the end by a mere 9 runs with only Baz to separate the two sides.

#3 86* vs Australia, Hamilton, 2007 (ODI)

McCullum was a major factor in one of the best ODI run-chases of all-time

This game was arguably the biggest heist ever produced in the history of One Day Internationals.

Playing against their trans-Tasmanian rivals at home, the Kiwis were in for a rude shock with Matthew Hayden bludgeoning his way to a masterclass 181* in a typical bullying fashion. A collective effort by the rest of the Aussies meant that the Aussies ended their innings with a mammoth total of 346.

New Zealand, on the other hand, had the worst possible start to the game with both openers back in the hut with the scoreboard reading 34 runs at the end of the 6th over. The Kiwis slid further and further and when Fulton got out after a quick-fire half century, it looked like the game was left to being a mere formality. But at 5-116, in walked a relatively young Brendon McCullum with ideas of his own.

Combining brilliantly with centurion Craig McMillan, the duo added 165 runs for the 6th wicket before Watson cleaned him up to leave New Zealand at 6-281 after 41.2 overs.

Baz who was up to that point playing second fiddle to McMillan upped the ante and took control of the game with some thunderous stroke play. New Zealand kept losing wickets at the other end, but McCullum was not bothered as he kept the Kiwis in the game with some classic aggression.

After a cameo from Mark Gillespie ended, the Kiwis still required 8 runs of 7 balls with just the last wicket in hand.

McCullum, however, was still wondering what the fuss was about as he smashed Bracken for a huge six over deep fine leg to level the scores. He then ended the game with a boundary to ensure that New Zealand got home in what was one of the most stunning run chases of all-time.

#4 91* vs India, Chennai 2012 (T-20)

Whether home or away McCullum loved to play against India

The Indians have never won against the Kiwis in a T-20 encounter over 8 years and McCullum is probably the biggest reason as to why. Previously as we saw him take consecutive Man of the Match awards, McCullum did one better on tour to India in 2012.

Cometh the hour, cometh the man.

With New Zealand suffering a couple of early setbacks, 2-2 is never a good time to come in and play your shots. Not if you’re McCullum though. The Kiwi counter-attacked in some style as New Zealand rose from the dumps to post a healthy 167 runs on the board.

The match that also marked the comeback of the prince of Indian cricket, Yuvraj Singh saw India come perilously close to beating New Zealand for the first time but faltered at the final hurdle. losing by a solitary run.

Baz was easily the player of the match, ending with 91 of merely 55 deliveries.

#5 202 vs Pakistan, Sharjah 2014 (Test)

A masterclass from McCullum set up a resounding win

The UAE conditions are often considered as an acid test for teams out of the subcontinent, more so the Kiwis who are traditionally not the best players of the turning ball. It was no surprise hence that when they toured to the UAE in 2014, the pundits didn’t give them much of a chance.

Trailing 1-0 coming into the 3rd and final Test, it needed someone to provide an impetus to the Kiwi side, a belief that they were good enough to overpower the Pakistan side at their own game. And who better to do so than their explosive captain.

Promoting himself to open the innings, McCullum rewrote the familiar Pakistan script of scoring heavily in the first essay and spinning the opposition out of the game in typical fashion, carting the world class bowlers in the opposition ranks to all parts of the ground.

He eventually got out after scoring 202 off merely 188 deliveries and a 192 from Kane Williamson was enough for the Kiwis to beat Pakistan by an Innings and 80 runs to square off the 3 match series at 1-1

#6 77 vs England at Christchurch, 2008 (ODI)

McCullum the opener was born

An innings that saw McCullum burst on stage as one of the most destructive openers on display.

Promoted to open the innings on a regular basis, McCullum repaid the faith of the team management with an outrageous knock to make a mockery of what seemed like a tricky chase,

The Poms put up 242 on the board in their allotted overs, largely restricted by Kyle Mills who ended up with figures of 4-36.

On a pitch which was a bit damp due to rains in the preceding days as well as midway through the match, the ball was not coming on the bat as well as the batsmen would have liked.

McCullum, however, seemed to be the only batsmen who did not bother about the pitch or the seaming conditions. Coming to open the innings alongside Ryder, Baz smashed his to 77 runs off merely 43 deliveries to end any hope the Englishmen had of sealing the game and squaring up the series.

His innings was laced with 6 sixes and 5 boundaries as the Kiwis got home comfortably by D/L method in a rain-curtailed encounter. It set the tone for his blitzkrieg at the inaugural game of the IPL less than a couple of months later.

#7 131 vs Pakistan at Abu Dhabi, 2009 (ODI)

McCullum’s knock set the platform for his side’s win

Who says match-winning knocks come only when the side is chasing?

Playing away from home in the trying conditions of Abu Dhabi, McCullum battled the spin attack of Pakistan and showed impeccable fitness fighting away dehydration and cramps to play a scintillating knock of 131 off 129 deliveries.

Known for his outrageous stroke play, McCullum played particularly out of character, scoring almost 50% of his runs in ones, twos and threes in hot and humid conditions. The knock set up the game for the Kiwis, finishing with 303 in their allotted overs.

Pakistan got off to a fairly good start but lost the plot in the mid overs to hand over the Kiwis a 64 run victory and McCullum some sweet memories to cherish after what was perhaps the grittiest knock of his ODI career.

#8 69* vs England at Hamilton, 2013 (ODI)

Baz loved playing against England

It is pretty obvious that McCullum took a liking to England and India the most in his illustrious career. Playing against the former at home in 2013, England got to a decent total on the board on the back of half-centuries from Bell, Trott and Root.

Chasing a total of 259, New Zealand began positively and though wickets kept tumbling at regular intervals, they kept the scoreboard ticking.

From having a dream run as an opener, McCullum was demoted down the order in the 2012-2013 season, to restore some balance into the Kiwi side. A mini collapse saw the Kiwi’s slide from 2-124 to 5-155.

McCullum though still occupied the crease and shepherded the tail brilliantly to ensure that the Kiwis got home with no further hiccups. When Williamson got out, the Kiwis required 117 off 16 overs with 7 wickets in hand (technically 6 as Guptill was retired hurt)

The Englishmen pegged the game back in style by not allowing the Kiwis to break free and kept on taking wickets at regular intervals. Once Elliott got out, to everyone’s surprise, Guptill strode out to bat once again with 40 required off 24 balls and the last 3 wickets in hand.

The duo combined brilliantly to ensure that the Kiwi’s got home with as many as 7 balls to spare.

McCullum was adjudged the man of the match for his composed 69 off 61 balls to steer his side home from an improbable position.

#9 19 & 74 vs West Indies at Auckland, 2006

McCullum showed his finishing prowess at a young age

Arguably McCullum’s best knock for a winning cause came early in his Test career when he ensured that the Kiwi’s defeated the West Indians in what turned out to be a finely fought game.

Winning the toss, the Windies rightly put in the Kiwis to bat first in overcast conditions at Auckland. They reached a par score of 275 in and the Windies responded in kind, scoring just 18 short of the Kiwis in their first essay.

With what was shaping out to be a second inning shoot-out, the Kiwis were in all sorts of trouble, reeling at 6-143 when a young McCullum strode out to bat.

Shepherding the tail beautifully as he would go on to do countless times in his career, McCullum played a composed knock of 74 to steer his side from a precarious position to the shores of safety.

291 was always going to be a tough ask in the 4th innings, but the Windies battled really hard to reach 263 runs, eventually handing over the match to the Kiwi’s by a mere 27 runs.

#10 59 vs South Africa at Auckland, 2015 (ODI)

McCullum’s knock helped take the Kiwis to their first World Cup final

There was perhaps no bigger stage and no better time for McCullum to play one of the finest knocks the World Cups have ever seen.

In a high-pressure, high-intensity semi-final vs the fancied South Africans, de Villiers and Miller played absolute blinders to set a target of 298 runs of 43 overs for the Kiwis.

But McCullum seemed to be relatively unruffled by the scenario or the situation, thundering his way to a brilliant half-century to ensure that the Kiwis got the start they desperately needed to stay in the game.

Opening the batting against a dangerous new ball pair of Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander, Baz had thorough disregard for the due, smashing his way to 59 runs of merely 26 deliveries at a preposterous strike rate of 226.92.

The innings paved the way for a resounding Kiwi fightback as Grant Elliot lead the late charge to eventually win with 1 ball to spare amid madness in the field by the Proteas.

The knock will undoubtedly remain as the most important he’s played in his entire career spanning 15 long years.