Brendon McCullum announces retirement from all forms of cricket
Former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum announced his retirement from all formats of cricket on Monday, 5th August. McCullum will hang up his boots after the conclusion of the Global T20 Canada in which he is representing the Toronto Nationals.
The Dunedin-born player was set to play in the Euro T20 Slam later this month but has opted against, stating that it's been increasingly difficult to maintain the same drive for the game that he had earlier in his career.
"As much as I'm proud of what I've achieved in my 20-year professional career - more than I ever could have dreamed of when I first entered the game - I have felt the drive to keep going harder to maintain in recent months," he wrote in a statement on his Twitter account.
"My style of cricket has always been full noise, full throttle. From Culling Park to Lord's and everything in between, there have been some wonderful memories. Unfortunately, the sacrifices needed and commitment required to play that type of cricket have now become too great," McCullum added.
The 37-year-old had already announced his retirement from international cricket in 2016 after a superb career in which he scored 6453 runs in 101 Tests. In ODIs, he scored 6083 runs in 260 matches while also featuring in 71 T20Is which saw him make 2140 runs.
McCullum's stint as captain from 2012 until his retirement in 2016 was really rewarding for both himself and his team as New Zealand became increasingly difficult to beat due to their aggressive brand of cricket and proactive decision-making on the field.
His highest point was the 2015 World Cup where New Zealand made the final after pulling off a thrilling win over South Africa in the semi-final in front of a packed Eden Park crowd.
McCullum was considered a trailblazer in T20 cricket, having scored a mammoth 158* against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the first-ever match of the IPL, in 2008.
While he retired from international cricket in 2016, he continued to play in T20 leagues around the world, including stints in the Pakistan Super League, Bangladesh Premier League and Afghanistan Premier League.
Now that the pressure and pain of playing cricket is over, McCullum is expected to turn his attention towards coaching and commentary.