7 things you might not know about Brendon McCullum
Out of the blue, New Zealand's captain Brendon McCullum announced his retirement from international cricket. The swashbuckling opener will retire at the end of the home Test series against Australia.His retirement will bring an end to one of the most successful periods in New Zealand cricket, which has seen them reach the World Cup final for the first time in their history and remain unbeaten in 13 home Tests, a current record that might yet increase in number, before McCullum’s final Test.Plenty of McCullum’s records and achievements roll frequently out of the tip of a cricket fan’s tongue, as does his nickname “Baz, but there are some that are slightly less well-known.Here are 7 things you might not know about Brendon McCullum:
#7 Cricket is in his blood
Brendon McCullum comes from a cricketing family, so it was no surprise to see him choose cricket. His father Stuart McCullum was also a wicketkeeper, who despite never getting a chance to represent the Black Caps, played 75 first-class matches for Otago. He didn't have a particularly impressive record though as his batting average was in the twenties in both first-class and list-A matches.
His brother, Nathan McCullum is an off-spinning all-rounder, who has played 145 limited-overs matches for New Zealand. Although Nathan is yet to represent his country in the longest format, he has created a niche for himself as a T20 and ODI specialist and is a regular, in both squads.