Brendon McCullum and three years of scripting a folklore

Brendon McCullum

For a land fascinated with Rugby, and mired with
allegations of match-fixing in cricket, for the latter
to emerge into prominence, the game needed a hero
who could have folklore scripted around him. There
was Richard Hadlee, there was Martin Crowe, but
they were long gone. For sheer romance, Brendon
McCullum's game lacked poetry. He was more brash
and aggressive with his game to ever have elegance
find a place; entertaining and gentlemanly,
nonetheless.
Trent Boult, who has gone on to become the leader
of New Zealand's pace attack, said, "He has
changed the game in a way. The way New
Zealanders have got behind cricket, behind the team
is because of him and his style of play, his
attacking captaincy."
When he walked out to play his final Test, there
were placards in his honour at the Hagley Oval,
#ThankYouBaz trending online and long-time
arch-rivals Australia giving him the guard of
honour. All of this would've been an unlikely
thought two years back.
Then...
New Zealand, for long, weren't world beaters. They
weren't what the cricketing world likes to define the
less-competitive as - minnows, either. Somewhere
in between the two, they were always a side that
produced a few extraordinarily talented cricketers
and athletes, who harnessed their skills in another
sport/s during the winter months. What they
always did possess was a line of brilliant captains,
who somehow make did with an offering of a
string of all-rounders and a few good men to form
a formidable unit.
When Stephen Fleming, the country's most
successful captain, retired, the line of progression to
take New Zealand cricket forward was known. It
was Daniel Vettori followed by Ross Taylor. While
too many niggles and injuries kept the former out
of action for long, the latter faced an
unceremonious axing following a string of defeats.
Mike Hesson, the New Zealand coach, had
suggested that Taylor relinquish his role as captain
in limited-overs cricket to concentrate on his
batting. Not too pleased with the turn of events
and the idea of split captaincy, Taylor decided to
take a break from cricket and wasn't too keen on
leading the side in Tests alone. Hesson may have
been convinced that McCullum, whom he had
known since the latter was six years old, could fit
the bill. But his record wasn't anything to boast
about.
He may have played 70 consecutive matches till
then without getting dropped. But he primarily held
his position in the side for the lack of better
options. He wasn't an extraordinary wicketkeeper
either. As a Test batsman, he averaged in the
mid-30s. It was only against Bangladesh,
Zimbabwe and India that he scored more than 40
runs an innings. More importantly, unlike in One-
Day Internationals (ODIs) and T20s, he wasn't a
game-changer in Tests. His accomplishments till
then belonged to the league of far more ordinary
men than those who were accorded a guard of
honour on their farewell Test.
As a batsman, there were doubts about McCullum's
ability to play the long innings. He could unsettle
a few plans for a minor period. But, in late 2012,
things started to change for the man from Otaga
and for New Zealand cricket.
Forging world-beaters
"Tough times don't last, but tough blokes do"
- Brendon McCullum's text message to Alastair
Cook when the English captain was going through
a tough phase.
For long, New Zealand had a tough time to find a
settled batting order in Tests. Kane Williamson
wasn't the best batsman in the side, let alone being
one of the finest in the world. Jesse Ryder's
disciplinary issues found him in and out of the
team too often. Ross Taylor was too good to be left
out, but too inconsistent to have been persisted
with for long. So was the case with Tim Southee.
An array of fine all-rounders had retired and there
weren't able replacements.
For a year since McCullum took over, New Zealand
didn't win a single match. They were whitewashed
against South Africa in a two-match series, drew
against England at home and against Bangladesh
in Bangladesh. The first Test against West Indies
too ended in a draw.
Something had to change - for New Zealand as a
team and McCullum as a player. He was a highly
successful T20 batsman, arguably the best in world
cricket. His style was never in sync with Test
cricket. He could play only in one gear. He may
not have been a Shahid Afridi, but he wasn't a
Virender Sehwag either. Somewhere, in between, he
found his identity. He rarely played long innings.
but changed the course of the match in whatever
little he could. It was only until India found out
otherwise in February 2014.
A match-winning double hundred was followed by
a match-saving triple. The second knock was an
exhibition of patience, application and
determination to believe that all was not over. It
was at this point that New Zealand cricket was
creating a brand for itself, a brand of aggressive
and entertaining cricket. They went all-out on
attack, providing thrill-a-minute contest,
transferring a style which got them success in
limited-overs to the longest format.
Over the last one year, McCullum himself went on
to shift a gear higher. The 188-ball 202 against
Pakistan, the 134-ball 195 against Sri Lanka and
the 28-ball 41 against England - all came in
winning causes. And even when it didn't, like the
run-a-ball 80 in Brisbane or the 79-ball 145
against Australia, it shifted the momentum in
favour of New Zealand, forcing the Australian
captain to adopt a defensive field.
Hadlee defined the turn of events in New Zealand
cricket rather simply: "There is something special
going on in our game at present and it is summed
up in one word: McCullum"
When he eventually called it quits, the question
that was popped, as many other celebrated
cricketers would have liked to hear, was - 'why?'.
With 6,453 runs, McCullum finished as the second-
highest run-getter for the country in Tests. He has
the most double centuries and the highest
individual score in an innings for a New Zealander.
He also hit most number of sixes ever in the longest
format, apart from playing every single match for
the country from debut to retirement (a world
record). He brought in crowds to the stadium and
had sub-continent fans get up early morning
frustratingly to find the streaming links of New
Zealand matches. He infused life into New Zealand
cricket, making them the most exciting bunch to
watch display their art.
John Wright, who stepped down as New Zealand's
coach in August 2012, said, "I knew that New
Zealand are going to have a good period of cricket.
So that doesn't surprise me. They are playing an
exciting brand of cricket under Brendon. That is
what he has personally brought and encouraged.
It's a very good bunch of cricketers that has come
through and matured. They are going to have a
very good period of cricket in the next five to six
years. I think it's one of the best New Zealand
teams."
New Zealand may have failed to beat England in
the four-match Test series, but that also began a
three-year unbeaten run at home. The 14-match
streak lasted till the third Test against Sri Lanka.
The only home series defeat that McCullum faced
as a captain was his farewell series. The two other
series defeats that New Zealand faced under him
was against South Africa in South Africa and
against Australia in Australia.
Describing his captain's contribution, Southee had
said a few months back, "He has changed the game
and other teams are trying to be as attacking as
Brendon has been. He has, sort of, set a standard
as captain to follow. Others are trying to emulate
what Brendon is doing, his aggressive mindset."
Unfortunately for Brendon, much like the World
Cup 2015 campaign which ended with a defeat in
the final, his farewell Test didn't have a result
befitting his career and captaincy. But like so many
other facets of cricket, therein lies the beauty of the
sport, therein lies the narration for a folklore.
"I think there is something pretty romantic about
finishing playing cricket in front of New Zealand
crowds and in New Zealand grounds,"