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T20 legend expects Cutting to heat up

Brendon McCullum is excited by what Ben Cutting could achieve for the Brisbane Heat in BBL|06

Brendon McCullum is looking forward to seeing what Ben Cutting can do in the coming KFC Big Bash League season after the Brisbane Heat allrounder’s stunning form at the business end of the Indian Premier League.

Playing under Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper David Warner, Cutting stole the show when he blasted 39 not out from 15 deliveries and snared two wickets to lead the IPL franchise to its maiden title in late May.

It followed a fine performance with the ball in the qualifying final, where he snared 2-20.

McCullum, who will join the Heat this summer, played alongside Cutting in BBL|01 and believes that if the 29-year-old can maintain his IPL form he could be a leader this summer for the Heat, which today announced a three-year sponsorship deal with CUA.

"When I first saw Cutts I thought he was going to be straight on the scene but he’s gone through some injuries and he had a little bit of a lull," the former New Zealand skipper told cricket.com.au.

"But I think what we’ve seen in the last little while is that he’s starting to come back.

"He’ll be a huge player for us; batting in that middle-order, bowling, using his height and his ability to change the pace but also every now and then, on that Gabba wicket, being able to ‘sniff’ the batter as well.

"We’ll look to use him in a really strong leadership role with the bat and the ball in hand.

"There’s not a whole lot of those commodities; guys who can whack it out of the park, field brilliantly and bowl touching 140kph. He could be a huge asset for us."

Cutting, Warner shine on IPL's biggest stage

Cutting revealed on Wednesday that his stint under Warner in the IPL had provided him with an injection of confidence.

"I got a hell of a lot of confidence out of bowling well in the IPL," Cutting told News Ltd.

"It is one thing doing it back here in the nets at training, but to do it over in India on a big stage was a confidence booster."

Even more impressive was the fact Cutting had played just two matches in IPL9 prior to the semi-final.

After arriving in India in early April, the allrounder spent the early part of the tournament bed-ridden due to illness and had almost given up hope of featuring for the Sunrisers at all, before being called in for their clash with Kings XI Punjab on May 15.

Image Id: ~/media/7C040CDC2B07430AA1CB10BD6398FB19 Image Caption: Brendon McCullum bats for the Heat during BBL|01 // Getty Images

Now, Cutting feels strong and hopes a new approach to injury prevention will pay off this summer.

"The biggest change for my bowling has been putting on a lot of strength.

"I am back bowling about 140kph which is where I was eight years ago.

"The problem for me was I got lots of injuries and after those injuries I used to try to get leaner to take the strain off my knees and my ankles. That didn’t work so well for me."