Former captain of the New Zealand Cricket team and one who famously led them to a World Cup final in 2015, Brendon McCullum, has officially announced that he will no longer play any form of competitive cricket after the Global T20 Cricket tournament is concluded.
In effect, this would mean that he will also not be available for the forthcoming Euro T20 slam. McCullum, apart from being a swashbuckling opener, fielder, wicketkeeper and captain for his national team was also a superstar in Cricketing leagues across the world. He will most notably be remembered in Franchise cricket as the one who lit the Indian Premier League on fire with his spell bounding 158 for Kolkata Knight Riders against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the first-ever IPL match way back in 2008.
That innings not only changed the way T20 Cricket was looked at but also announced the arrival of the blockbuster league on the World Stage.
“My style of cricket has always been full noise, full throttle,” said McCullum in a statement he posted on social media.
“From Culling Park to Lord’s and everything in between, there have been some wonderful memories. Unfortunately, the sacrifices needed and commitment required to play that type of cricket have now become too great.
“I owe it to myself and the teams I represent that I close that chapter rather than plough on regardless of what I know to be true. I look back with pride over the way I’ve played the game and what I’ve achieved. With New Zealand, we broke boundaries and established a style of play that earned us respect around the world. In T20 cricket, I have enjoyed so many challenges I can leave the game knowing that I left no stone unturned.”
McCullum admitted that as of now he is looking at a future in cricket broadcasting and coaching. The right-handed batsman has been spotted in the commentary boxes whenever he is not on the field and was also part of the ICC Cricket World Cup broadcasting team. However, with him retiring from all forms of the game, he would be able to devote more time to this job.
Notably, the 37-year-old had retired from International Cricket in 2016 itself as he played 101 Tests, 260 ODIs and 71 T20I for the Black Caps after making his debut in 2004. He scored 6453 in Test matches, another 6083 in ODIs and 2140 runs in T20Is.
After his retirement from international cricket, he featured in numerous T20 leagues around the world which included the Indian Premier League, Big Bash League and Pakistan Super League. Currently, he is the second-highest scorer in T20 Cricket after the self-proclaimed Universe Boss Chris Gayle.