Today, Brendon will become the first player in cricket history to play 100 consecutive Tests since debut. Let's take a look back at his astounding achievements.
Brendon was born on 27 September, 1981, in Dunedin.
Attended King's High School in South Dunedin.
Father Stu was a long-serving left-handed opening batsman for Otago.
Older brother Nathan went on to represent the BLACKCAPS in ODI and T20 cricket.
Brendon made his ODI debut against Australia at Sydney in 2002 – opening the batting with Mark Richardson. He wasn’t the wicketkeeper at that stage – Adam Parore was the gloveman.
He made his Test debut in 2004 against South Africa at Hamilton, batting at number eight and making 57 in the first innings.
He is the only player in international cricket history to have batted in each of the top nine positions in both Tests and ODIs.
Over the past two years under his captaincy, New Zealand have had their highest win percentages in both Tests and ODIs.
Under Brendon, New Zealand reached the World Cup final for the first time, last year, and have now gone 13 consecutive home Tests without a defeat.
Brendon is the:
- First New Zealander to score a Test triple century – scoring 302 against India at the Basin Reserve in 2014
- First New Zealander to score more than 200 in a Test innings four times
- First New Zealander to score 1000 Test runs in a calendar year (2015)
His Test career can be split three ways:
- As a wicketkeeper he averaged 34.18 with the bat (5 x 100s/15 x 50s)
- After giving up the gloves he’s averaged 42.83 with the bat (6 x 100s/16 x 50s)
- As captain he averages 45.31 with the bat (5 x 100s/7 x 50s)
As he approaches this series, Brendon holds (with Adam Gilchrist) the joint world record for the highest number of sixes struck in Tests: 100.
Last year, Brendon was named the New Zealand Sportsman of the Year.
The New Zealand Herald newspaper named him their joint “New Zealander of the Year”.
He was presented with a Sir Peter Blake Leadership Award.
He was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit.
This year, the ICC named him their recipient of the Christopher Martin-Jenkins Spirit of Cricket Award.
The MCC have asked him to deliver the coveted “Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey” Lecture at Lord’s in June.
Brendon and the BLACKCAPS showed the world it was possible to win, and lose, with grace.
His captaincy was viewed as transformational in terms of its attacking style, and lauded throughout the world. In ODIs, where most captains employed defensive strategies to contain opposition batsmen, McCullum’s uber-attacking field placings reaped rewards and proved that taking wickets is an effective way of negating opposition batting line-ups.
He also employed this plan to good effect in Tests, supplementing it with an aggressive batting strategy which his top order fully embraced, often scoring at four, five and six runs an over, to give their side time to dismiss opposition line-ups.
Not only was McCullum’s attacking style of leadership effective, he employed it while exhibiting a spirit of goodwill and respect towards his opponents, in the process endearing his players and the team to all involved, and especially New Zealanders.
Hear from those closest to Brendon in this fitting tribute video:
