The phenomenon called Brendon McCullum

McCullum has got better with age

On his day, Brendon McCullum can tear apart the most formidable and intimidating of bowling attacks with practised ease and disdainful contempt. His unbeaten century against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the eighth season of the Indian Premium League was another scintillating exhibition of aggressive strokeplay that was studded with seven fours and nine sixes. Luckily, for the spectators and the aficionados of cricket, his superlative performances have been more than frequent since his dream run that commenced against India at Eden Park in 2014.

The horrendous experience that the South African bowlers (Dale Steyn included) were subjected to in the World Cup semi-final on the one hand and the early inroads provided by Trent Boult in the same tournament on the other, may have forced the Sunrisers to shift strategies but it was all in vain as McCullum countered it by making sure that it would be Ishant Sharma this time around, who would be at the receiving end. McCullum’s 56-ball knock further reiterates why he is particularly tailor-made for a format which only requires firing on all cylinders without caring for one’s wicket, statistics or even milestones.  

The Numbers game

However, for someone like McCullum who belongs to the uniquely elite brand of cricketers such as Sehwag, Gayle, de Villiers and Maxwell, records and milestones are bound to chase him. In addition to being the first New Zealand captain to lead his team to the World Cup finals, he also remains the only player from his country to aggregate 1000 Test runs in a calendar year. But what unequivocally puts him in the Hall of Fame of all-time cricketers is the fact that he is only the third batsman after Bradman and Michael Clarke to have scored a triple hundred and two double hundreds in test cricket within a calendar year.

His recent performances bespeak a certain maturity not exactly in terms of his style (though there is also his marathon innings of 302 runs off 559 balls and 775 minutes on the crease against India), but purely in the way in which he has been able to shoulder responsibility and lead from the front.

It’s that Fearless approach.....

So, even though legendary cricketers like Hayden may strongly feel that he didn’t respect the situation of a World Cup final, it is precisely this same tendency not to be overawed by the occasion but rather to take the attack to the opposition that made sure that run rate was never a problem for the other New Zealand batsmen in the semi-final.

Always considered as the bowler’s worst nightmare (Shaun Tait would unreservedly confirm this), McCullum has had a phenomenal rise since last year, with no signs of being bogged down anytime soon. This lethal combination of consistency and aggression is not only a double whammy for any opposition but also something that substantially brightens the prospects of Chennai Super Kings in the ongoing tournament (his quick-fire 46 made a mockery of the chase against Mumbai Indians). But whatever be the outcome, McCullum, a true phenomenon that he is, has already given us quite a few memorable moments to cheer about, inimitable knocks for us to marvel at and above all a new brand of captaincy and leadership that not only surpasses the legacy of Stephen Fleming but also sets a completely different standard, something which did not go unnoticed by the ICC while preparing its World Cup XI.