New Delhi: Brendon McCullum, captain of the New Zealand cricket team, played the last test match of his career against Australia here in Christchurch. The 34-year-old wicket-keeper-batsman has finally hung his boots and said goodbye to all forms of cricket. Not just one of the world's most hard-hitting and ingenious batsmen, McCullum is also the first Kiwi cricketer to have played 100 consecutive test matches.
Giving himself farewell in his own style, the run-machine smashed the world's fastest test century off just 54 balls in his 101st and last test match. The catastrophic inning of 145 runs off 79 deliveries included 21 fours and six sixes. (Let's have a look at the test career of this explosive wicket-keeper batsman).
Brendon Barrie McCullum made his debut against South Africa in the year 2004. His first five years in the longer version of the game were not that impressive, except for the 96-run inning that he played against England at Lord's. It was in 2009 that his career started taking a shape when he made his third Test hundred against India in Napier and then a double ton in Hyderabad.
McCullum has finished his 101-Test career with 6453 Test runs at an average of 38.64. The hard hitting right hander may not have a huge career average, but his resume in Test cricket is impressive nonetheless.
The T20 format turned out to be the defining moment of his career. Known for his batting pyrotechnics, McCullum smashed an unbeaten 158 against RCB in the first ever T20 match in IPL 2008 that involved 13 sky-rise sixes.
McCullum's batting career touched new heights as he became the first cricketer from New Zealand to box a triple hundred against Indian in Wellington, followed by a double century off just 186 deliveries against Pakistan in Sharjah. The aggressive wicket-keeper batsman was awarded ‘New Zealand Cricketer of the Year' in 2014.
In the 2015 World Cup, McCullum blasted the fastest fifty in world cup history (third fastest in ODI cricket), 51 off merely 18 balls. Adding yet another feather to his colorful career, Brendon became the first captain to lead the Kiwi side in a World Cup final.
