5 reasons why Brendon McCullum will be missed

Brendon McCullum leading the players off the field after the culmination of the 2nd Test against Australia, and with it, his international career.Some cricketers play to win, some play for their own fun, and some play for glory. Brendon McCullum played cricket to entertain. It was as simple as that.As he bids adieu to international cricket, this would be McCullum’s biggest contribution to the game – he showed cricketers you can entertain the crowds- whether it is as a fielder, or as a batsman, or as a captain- and that was always his greatest prerogative.When Richard Hadlee exalted Brendon McCullum as the best thing to have happened to New Zealand cricket, he wasn’t too far off the mark. Hadlee knows a thing or two about cricket, being New Zealand’s greatest bowler and one of the greatest and most versatile fast bowlers cricket has ever seen.It wasn’t always this way, however, for McCullum who took up the captaincy in tumultuous circumstances, under allegations of being divisive, especially rubbing off their star batsman, Ross Taylor, who was his predecessor in captaincy, in the wrong way.A terrible defeat against South Africa followed and New Zealand hit rock bottom. Another person could have buckled right there, but not McCullum. He turned things around spectacularly and if there has been a team that played a sport in the image of its captain, it is New Zealand in the last couple of years.Now that McCullum has called it quits in international cricket, we will definitely miss him for more than a few reasons. Here are the top 5.

#5 A fielder par excellence

McCullum exploits in the field have been well known to everyone

Cricket doesn’t have more than a handful of fielders who can match McCullum’s fielding capabilities, let alone bettering them. McCullum’s leaps and dives at the long on and long-off boundaries is the stuff of a legend.

One of the most athletic fielders ever, McCullum is known for putting his body on the line every single time he chased a ball, no matter what the match situation was – a quality that has earned him a lot of praise from MS Dhoni, a captain who has an obvious penchant for committed fielders.

Watching McCullum’s exploits on the field was a joy in itself. Whether it was his catch in the Champions Trophy in 2013 against Sri Lanka, or those that he took for the Chennai Super Kings, McCullum’s aerial exploits have been well documented.

He was one of those rare fielders who were always busy on the field and always managed to contribute in one way or the other, who loved the ball coming their way and often leapt impossible distances if it didn’t come exactly their way.

In all, McCullum has 198, 262 and 36 catches as fielder and wicket-keeper in Tests, ODIs and T20I.

McCullum was probably New Zealand’s best wicket-keeper batsman before he decided in 2012, to play as a pure batsman, a risk he pulled off in style. However, that was not before he did his bit with the gloves, ending up as the first Black Caps wicket-keeper with more than 200 dismissals in ODI cricket.

He is second only to Adam Parore in Tests with 178 dismissals. However, his overall dismissals as wicket-keeper in all formats is a New Zealand record – 462, way ahead of any of their other wicket-keepers.

#4 The T20 legend

McCullum set the first ever IPL match on fire, with his blazing knock of 158

McCullum set the IPL ablaze with his knock of 158, in its inaugural match, for Kolkata Knight Riders against Royal Challengers Bangalore. He was the first player to reach 1000 and 2000 runs in T20 Internationals and finished with 2140 runs from 70 innings at 35.66 with a strike-rate of 136.

The next highest tally is of his countryman, MartinGuptill, who with 1666 runs is a distant second. McCullum has 2 international T20I centuries and 7 domestic T20 centuries where he has smashed 6311 runs.

He holds the record for most 6s (91) and most 4s (199) in all T20I. His 123 is the third highest T20I score, while his 50 ball century against Australia in 2010, in Christchurch is the fifth fastest ever. He has 31 half centuries in all domestic T20s as well to go with his 96 catches and 14 stumpings.

#3 A true sportsman and gentleman

McCullum was a true sportsman in every sense

Very rarely would we find a player who fights so hard in a match without really stepping over the line. McCullum is a fierce competitor but at the same time, a player known for his sportsman spirit. He was adored for the same reason by other players and the crowds alike.

From patting the backs of opposition batsmen who played exceptionally well to preventing his team from indulging in unsavoury actions like sledging, McCullum played cricket in the spirit of the game without conceding an inch.

Under his watch, New Zealand became everyone’s second favourite team during the World Cup. McCullum’s stature in world cricket can be confirmed from the tribute David Warner paid at the former’s retirement when he said that cricket is losing a true gentleman from the sport.

Like Harsha Bhogle pointed out once, Baz was one of those players who left the game a little enhanced and enriched.

#2 An audacious captain

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McCullum is the archetype of what a leader must be – unencumbered, free and confident. He had a nation baying for his blood when he took over from Ross Taylor, some accusing him of colluding behind the scenes for captaincy.

He didn’t have the most glamorous of starts either when New Zealand lost to South Africa twice in two Tests, the first by an innings and 27 runs in Cape Town and the next by an innings and 193 runs in Port Elizabeth, both amongst New Zealand’s biggest losses.

However, McCullum went from strength to strength from there- after hitting the abyss- moulding a team that played some fearless cricket. McCullum lost 4 and drew 6 in his first 10 Tests as the captain before victory finally arrived at home against West Indies.

From then to now, New Zealand have evolved as a strong competitor, equalling a series against Pakistan in UAE, equalling a series against England in England and winning home series against India, Sri Lanka, and West Indies, and going undefeated for 13 home Tests at one point.

His greatest achievement as a captain though is taking his team to the final of the 2015 World Cup, before losing to the eventual champions, Australia. New Zealand couldn’t manage to cross the semi-finals in several attempts.

Records apart, McCullum was a smart, bold and audacious captain known for his aggressive captaincy and his preference for an all-out attack, the high point being his team’s tight win over Australia in the 2015 World Cup in the league stage.

Under McCullum, the team reached the top 3 in Tests and ODIs- a great achievement for New Zealand cricket. From going with more than three slips commonly, even in ODIs, to attacking field placements, McCullum played only to win, during an era of conservative captaincy, even if that came at the risk of losing.

His bold declarations were a testimony to that fact, ensuring that the Tests he featured in were never boring. Under him, bowlers like Trent Boult, Matt Henry and Tim Southee emerged as world-beaters, and batsmen like Kane Williamson emerged as one of the most reliable, young batsmen going around.

#1 Enterprising batsman

In Danny Morrison’s words, McCullum always had the dancing shoes on

When it comes to swashbuckling knocks, there aren’t many better than McCullum. He was one of those players born to play T20 cricket, but lack of too many matches in that format didn’t really affect him, considering his style in ODIs and Tests.

The man broke Sir Vivian Richards’ record for the fastest Test century, in his last international match, against Australia, doing so in just 54 balls on a lively track, walking in at a precarious situation. He is a natural crowd-puller. McCullum’s

McCullum’s strike rate of 96.37 in ODIs is only next to those of Shahid Afridi, Virender Sehwag, AB de Villiers and Adam Gilchrist amongst batsmen with more than 5000 runs. His 107 sixes in Tests is also a record as he recently went past Adam Gilchrist’s 100.

McCullum has a Test strike-rate of 64.60, seventh highest amongst all batsmen with more than 5000 runs. Even with that rate of attacking, he still managed 43 50+ scores. He also has 200 ODI 6s.

McCullum’s blazing ODI half-century was a fascinating start to the 2015 ODI World Cup, underlining his mantra of living and dying by the sword. Add to that his triple century at home, uncharted territory for New Zealand batsman, from a losing position against India to saving the match, and McCullum’s credentials as a batsman are established beyond doubt.