Brendon McCullum facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Brendon McCullum

McCullum in 2015
Personal information
Full name	Brendon Barrie McCullum
Born	(1981-09-27) 27 September 1981 (age 43) Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand
Nickname	Baz
Height	1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm medium Right-arm off break
Role	Wicket-keeper-batter
Relations	Nathan McCullum (brother) Stuart McCullum (father)
International information
National side	New Zealand (2002–2016)
Test debut (cap 224)	10 March 2004 v South Africa
Last Test	20 February 2016 v Australia
ODI debut (cap 126)	17 January 2002 v Australia
Last ODI	8 February 2016 v Australia
ODI shirt no.	42
T20I debut (cap 5)	17 February 2005 v Australia
Last T20I	23 June 2015 v England
T20I shirt no.	42
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1999/00–2002/03 2007/08–2014/15	Otago
2003/04–2006/07	Canterbury
2006	Glamorgan
2008–2010,2012–2013	Kolkata Knight Riders
2008/09	New South Wales
2010	Sussex
2011	Kochi Tuskers Kerala
2011/12–2018/19	Brisbane Heat
2014–2015	Chennai Super Kings
2015	Warwickshire
2016–2017	Gujarat Lions
2016–2017	Middlesex
2016–2018	Trinbago Knight Riders
2017–2018	Lahore Qalandars
2017	Rangpur Riders
2018	Royal Challengers Bangalore
2018	Kandahar Knights
Head coaching information
Years	Team
2020–2022	Kolkata Knight Riders
2022–present	England
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI T20I FC Matches 101 260 71 150 Runs scored 6,453 6,083 2,140 9,210 Batting average 38.64 30.41 35.66 37.13 100s/50s 12/31 5/32 2/13 17/46 Top score 302 166 123 302 Balls bowled 175 – – 259 Wickets 1 – – 1 Bowling average 88.00 – – 140.00 5 wickets in innings 0 – – 0 10 wickets in match 0 – – 0 Best bowling 1/1 – – 1/1 Catches/stumpings 198/11 262/15 36/8 308/19
Medal record Men's Cricket Representing  New Zealand ICC Cricket World Cup Runner-up 2015 Australia and New Zealand ICC Champions Trophy Runner-up 2009 South Africa
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 7 November 2021

Brendon Barrie McCullum (born 27 September 1981) is a famous former New Zealand cricketer. He is currently the head coach for the England men's Test cricket team. McCullum was known for his fast scoring and for leading New Zealand in all types of cricket.

He set a record for the fastest Test century. Many people see him as one of New Zealand's best batsmen and captains. He led his team to the finals of the 2015 Cricket World Cup and the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy. He is also part of the New Zealand Cricket Hall of Fame.

McCullum was once the top run-scorer in Twenty20 International (T20I) cricket. He was the first player to score 2000 runs in T20Is. In February 2014, he became the first New Zealander to score a triple century in a Test match, with 302 runs against India. He also scored the fastest Test century in his final Test match in February 2016, reaching 100 runs in just 54 balls.

He announced his retirement from international cricket in December 2015. He played his last international game in February 2016. He retired from all forms of cricket in August 2019.

Playing for Clubs and Teams

Brendon McCullum played for many different cricket teams during his career. These included teams in New Zealand and around the world.

Early Club Success

In March 2008, McCullum played a big game for the Otago Volts. He scored 170 runs against the Auckland Aces. This helped his team win and broke several batting records. He scored his fastest 100 runs in just 52 balls. His 170 runs were the highest score ever in a New Zealand domestic one-day match at that time.

McCullum also played for Glamorgan in England in 2006. He scored 160 runs while opening the batting. In January 2009, he played for New South Wales in Australia's KFC Twenty20 Big Bash final. He even gave his match fee to Otago Junior Cricket.

Big Scores in T20 Cricket

In January 2010, McCullum hit 108 runs not out for the Otago Volts. This helped them win a close game with only three balls left. He reached his 50 runs in 32 balls and his 100 runs in 65 balls.

While playing for Warwickshire in 2015, McCullum scored 158 runs not out from just 64 balls. This was the highest score in England's domestic T20 cup at that time. It remains the highest T20 score at Edgbaston.

Indian Premier League Highlights

In 2008, McCullum played for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the first-ever Indian Premier League (IPL) tournament. In the very first IPL match, he scored an amazing 158 runs not out. This was the highest individual score in a Twenty20 innings at that time. He also hit 13 sixes in that game, which was a record for a Twenty20 innings.

He later played for Kochi Tuskers Kerala and returned to the Knight Riders. In 2014, he joined Chennai Super Kings. He formed a very strong opening partnership with Dwayne Smith. In 2018, he played for Royal Challengers Bangalore. During that season, he reached 9000 runs in all forms of T20 cricket. He was only the second player to achieve this milestone.

Playing for New Zealand

Brendon McCullum had a long and successful career playing for the New Zealand national team.

Early International Matches

In 2004, McCullum played in a Test series against England. He scored 96 runs at Lord's, a famous cricket ground. A few months later, he scored his first Test century (100 runs) with 143 runs against Bangladesh. He later scored another century, 111 runs, against Zimbabwe.

In February 2007, he scored 86 runs not out against Australia. New Zealand became the first team since 1997 to win all three matches in an ODI series against Australia. He also helped set a world record for a 6th wicket partnership, scoring 165 runs with Craig McMillan.

Setting New Records

McCullum batting against India in an ODI in December 2010

On 1 July 2008, McCullum scored his first ODI century, hitting 166 runs against Ireland. He and James Marshall shared a 266-run opening partnership. This was the highest ODI partnership for any wicket in New Zealand's history. New Zealand scored 402 runs, their highest score ever in an ODI. They won by 290 runs, setting a world record for the biggest win by runs, which stood until 2023.

In November 2009, he scored his second ODI century, 131 runs, against Pakistan. In February 2010, he scored 185 runs in a Test match against Bangladesh. This was the highest score by a New Zealand wicket-keeper in Test cricket. He also had a huge 339-run partnership with Martin Guptill.

In February 2010, McCullum became the second player to score a T20I century, with 116 runs not out. In May 2010, he became the first player to score 1,000 T20 international runs. In September 2012, he scored 123 runs against Bangladesh, setting a new record for the highest Twenty20 International innings. He also became the first player to score two T20 International centuries.

Leading the Team

McCullum playing in an ODI against England in 2015

In 2014, at the Basin Reserve in Wellington, McCullum made history. He scored 302 runs in a Test match against India. This made him the first New Zealand batsman to score a triple-century. He and BJ Watling had a record 352-run partnership for the sixth wicket. This helped New Zealand recover from a difficult situation.

In November 2014, McCullum took his first Test wicket. He also scored a century (202 runs) in a Test against Pakistan. He hit eleven sixes in that innings, a record for a New Zealand opening batsman.

In December 2014, the New Zealand Herald newspaper named McCullum "New Zealander of the Year." This was for his leadership and for helping change how people saw the New Zealand cricket team.

On the first day of the Boxing Day Test in December 2014, McCullum scored 195 runs against Sri Lanka. This meant he had scored 1000 Test runs in a calendar year, a first for a New Zealander. He also hit the fastest Test century at that time, in just 74 balls. New Zealand won that match, making it their most Test wins in a calendar year.

Later Career and Retirement

McCullum led New Zealand in the 2015 Cricket World Cup, which New Zealand and Australia co-hosted. In a match against England, McCullum scored 77 runs from only 25 balls. He recorded the fastest 50 in World Cup history, reaching 50 runs in just 18 balls. He led New Zealand to their first World Cup final ever. In the final against Australia, he was out for a duck (zero runs). New Zealand lost the final, but McCullum's aggressive style of play was praised.

In December 2015, McCullum announced he would retire from international cricket. His last ODI match was against Australia in February 2016. New Zealand won that game and the Chappell–Hadlee Trophy.

In his final Test match in February 2016, McCullum made another record. He hit his 102nd six in Test cricket, passing Adam Gilchrist for the most sixes in Test history. He also scored a century in just 54 balls, becoming the fastest Test century scorer ever. He was given a special "guard of honour" by the Australian team when he walked out to bat for his last innings.

Playing Style

McCullum was known for his exciting and aggressive batting style. He started his career as a wicketkeeper-batsman. His wicketkeeping skills improved a lot over time. Even when he couldn't keep wickets, he was still chosen to play as a batsman because he was so good.

He often opened the batting in ODI matches. He was a powerful batsman who hit the ball hard, especially over the extra cover area. He was also good at playing the "scoop shot," where he would hit the ball over the wicketkeeper's head. This shot was sometimes called the "McScoop" after him.

In 2010, McCullum stopped being the wicketkeeper for Test matches because of body strain. He became a specialist batsman in Tests, sometimes opening the innings. He also played in the middle order. In limited-overs cricket (ODIs and T20s), he continued to keep wickets for a while. Later, due to back problems, he gave up wicketkeeping in ODIs and T20s too. He then became a middle-order batsman and a fielder, often at first slip. He was also a very rare part-time medium-pace bowler.

McCullum was especially suited to Twenty20 cricket. He was signed by the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL for a large amount of money. In 2016, he was signed by the Gujarat Lions for even more, making him one of the highest-paid overseas players.

Awards and Recognition

In 2015, Brendon McCullum was given the Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit award for his great contributions to cricket. He won the New Zealand Sportsman Of The Year award in 2014. In 2016, he received the Sport New Zealand Leadership Award.

In June 2016, after he retired from international cricket, McCullum was invited to give the important MCC Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey Lecture. He was only the second New Zealand player ever to be asked to give this lecture.

Coaching Career

After retiring as a player, McCullum moved into coaching.

Coaching in Franchise Leagues

In August 2019, McCullum became the head coach for both the Trinbago Knight Riders and the Kolkata Knight Riders. Under his coaching, the Trinbago Knight Riders won their fourth Caribbean Premier League title in 2020. The Kolkata Knight Riders reached the Indian Premier League final in 2021.

Coaching England

On 12 May 2022, McCullum was appointed as the head coach for the Test format of the England cricket team. His first series was against his home country, New Zealand. England won all three matches in that series.

This was followed by a win against India in July 2022. England chased down a record 378 runs to win. The new attacking and positive approach, started by McCullum and England's captain Ben Stokes, was called Bazball. This nickname became very popular in the media.

England also won a Test series against South Africa 2–1 in August 2022. In the winter of 2022, he coached England to win all their matches in a Test series in Pakistan, which was a first for England. In September 2024, it was announced that McCullum would also coach England's limited-overs teams starting in January 2025. His contract was also extended until after the World Cup.

Beyond Cricket

McCullum helped create CricHQ, a company that provides cricket competition management software and live scoring. Many national cricket bodies use its services.

In May 2018, he briefly returned to playing rugby for a month. He had not played rugby since high school.

See also

• List of Test cricket triple centuries