Brendon McCullum: The maverick who redefined aggression
Seeing the retirement statements of Brendon McCullum, Michael Clarke, M.S. Dhoni, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan would have had enough of heart-breaking retirements this year.
However, every fan has to accept it. Yes, we won’t see Baz in black or white jerseys, after New Zealand’s next Test series against Australia in February. And don’t even think about him revoking his retirement statement later. That’s not McCullum’s style. Once decided, it’s decided.
But why? I asked myself many times only to wind up in a state of emotional breakdown. Yes, he is 34, but the man who just broke the record of playing most consecutive Tests has absolutely no issues with fitness. For someone who has watched his recent games against Australia and Sri Lanka won’t be having any concerns about his form too.
He is still the old 20-year maverick with unmatchable agility and reflexes along with impeccable hand-eye-co-ordination.
But that doesn’t matter. In fact, nothing mattered to him as he always went on with his instincts. We can try to hate him for his decision to leave the team just when the World Cup T20 is around the corner.
We can try to hate him for his gritty triple century that snatched away a sure overseas victory from the nose tip of M.S. Dhoni. We can try to hate this swashbuckling batsman for all those brutal attacks, he launched against our bowlers.
But we can only try. Keep trying, but in no way, we can hate him. In fact, no one can never ever think of hating Brendon McCullum.
McCullum was the epitome of aggression
“Baz, we need a plan of attack.”
“I have a plan... Attack.”
That’s Brendon Mc Cullum in a nutshell. Fewer thoughts, more action. His decision making was lightning quick and aggressive, just as his fielding.
He never minded bowling out his strike bowler in the first 30 overs itself, if the bowler was on song. 5 slips and a gully, here we go... In fact, the kind of exemplary support he gave to his bowlers was one reason why New Zealand is now possessing one of the most deadly and potent bowling attacks in the world.
On the field, he led by example. He pounced and dived on everything that came his way. One of the safest pair of hands in the cricketing world, he terrorised batsmen with his mind-boggling agility and accuracy. Innumerable run-outs, incredible saves on the boundary lines, ‘grace’ is the word that we associate with his fielding.
Though he took the art of fielding to a new dimension, what made McCullum more special was his audacious batsmanship. Brash and brutal, he can rip apart bowling lineups like few other men in international cricket. Be it, Steyn or Kohli, he treated them all alike when he was at the crease. No matter whether the format is a Test, ODI or T20, the Kiwi skipper will go after the bowler from ball one.
Every time he played a rash shot and got out cheaply, I would say to myself along with those despaired Kiwi fans, “Can’t he stay there a bit more time, what’s so urgent in the dressing room?”. Many criticised him for his ‘you miss I hit’ attitude, which was accentuated by his dismissal in the 3rd ball of the World Cup final, trying to smash a yorker off Mitchell Starc.
Yes, he just smiled when he got out. He smiled nonchalantly when he got hit by a deadly bouncer of Mitchell Johnson. He smiled when he took New Zealand to their first ever World Cup final. He again smiled when Aussies demolished his team in the same final.
Because he didn’t care much about the results. All that mattered to him was dedicated, uncompromising, whole-hearted efforts.
And this was the McCullum we admired, the killer personality we loved from the bottom of our hearts.
A legend in his own right
One of the very few cricketers who showcased the world that aggression should be in action and not in words, McCullum is a true gentleman and a legend in his own right. He may not be as shrewd or patient like Dhoni, or technically correct as Sachin, but for all his fans, he is the one and only, Brendon Barrie McCullum.
A couple of months later, when McCullum leaves the ground, in the white jersey, for one last time, probably after playing a reckless shot, it will be the end of an epoch in New Zealand cricket.
Though Kane Williamson, one of the best batsmen of the modern era is all set to take up the mantle, it will definitely take some time for him to fill the void left by his former captain. The energy, spirit and momentum that McCullum transferred to his team through his inimitable batting, fielding and captaincy are boundless.
From the 158* in the opening match of the first IPL to the 57-ball 75 in the first Test against Sri Lanka in December 2015, McCullum’s innings were always action-packed thrillers. You can call him insane and impulsive for defying logic, technique and gravity, but no doubt he will surely be hailed as one the most dreaded batsmen the game has ever witnessed.