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McCullum to exit with legacy assured

An entertainer with the bat, it's as a leader that the Black Caps skipper has truly influenced the sport

Retiring BLACKCAPS skipper Brendon McCullum addresses the media ahead of his final Test match

Posted by cricket.com.au on Thursday, February 18, 2016

When Brendon McCullum leaves Hagley Oval after his 101st and last Test match he will be feted as one of the most significant international cricketers and captains the modern game has seen.

McCullum's influence on the wider game, both Test and shorter formats, is only challenged by the impact he has had on his own New Zealand team, which he picked up from the nadir of 45 all out in his first Test in charge in Cape Town 2013 and led to five series wins as captain, including their most successful Test year in 2014, and a first World Cup final last March.

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McCullum's measured approach off the field and his attacking modus operandi on it has made him a compelling cricketer to watch; not always successful, but utterly irresistible. His ultra-attacking style of captaincy coupled with positive batsmanship and an authentic sense of sportsmanship means he leaves the game as one of its most highly-regarded players, who has challenged ideas about the way the game can be played.

He has led with a swagger, but with no arrogance; with perspective, but without shackles.

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The spreading influence of McCullum was evident when New Zealand toured England in 2015. Having been crushed at the World Cup, England, temporarily under coach Paul Farbrace, took a leaf out of the McCullum book when it came to their style of play. 

An enthralling Test series was followed by a pulsating set of one-dayers, and in the same way that the Black Caps had galvanised the support of their own fans back home, the popularity of the England team soared.

Watching McCullum's captaincy from close quarters appeared to have an impact on England's captain Alastair Cook in the field, and he carried that influence into a successful Ashes campaign.

England couldn't win the ODIs against the Aussies but it was not uncommon to hear journalists and fans alike comment that "the best thing to happen to England this summer was Brendon McCullum".

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His generosity of spirit both inside and outside of his own dressing room is a compelling part of the McCullum story.

When his team ruthlessly dismantled England during their World Cup match in Wellington and McCullum blasted 77 off 25 balls, he shared a beer afterwards with his good friend and fellow skipper Eoin Morgan and offered some words of encouragement.

He even texted Cook when he was going through a rough patch in 2014 to comfortingly tell him "tough times don't last; tough blokes do".

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Of course an aggressive style doesn't work for every team, and it hasn't worked every time for McCullum; attacking fields leave plenty of room for boundaries while attacking shots can lead to your off stump being knocked back by the fifth delivery of a World Cup Final. But heck, it's gripping to watch.

While the New Zealand team or one of their players has won more ICC Spirit of Cricket Awards than anyone else since 2004, McCullum has become the embodiment of what it means to play cricket in the 'right spirit'.

This notion will likely only be strengthened when he delivers the MCC Spirit of Cricket Lecture at Lord's this year, before taking up a position on the MCC World Cricket Committee in October, where he will be able to offer an official steer on the way the game moves forward in the future.

McCullum's enduring legacy may be his endeavour to win, in a style authentic to the brand of cricket he wanted to produce and the manner in which he wanted to play.

He has made cricket all the more watchable for it.

McCullum's tale of the tape


1981 - Born in Dunedin

1999 - Turns his back on rugby to focus on cricket

2002 - ODI debut against Australia in Sydney

2004 - Test debut against South Africa in Hamilton

2008 - Smashes 158 off 73 balls for Kolkata Knight Riders in the first-ever IPL game

2012 - Replaces Ross Taylor as Black Caps skipper in all formats

2014 - Becomes the first New Zealand triple centurion, against India in Wellington. Scores 1164 runs in the calendar year

2015 - Leads New Zealand to their maiden World Cup final appearance

2015 - Provides evidence in the London perjury trial against former Black Caps teammate Chris Cairns

2016 - Becomes the first cricketer to complete a century of successive Tests since debut