Baz Retires: Highlights from Brendon McCullum’s 20-Year Career

As McCullum draws curtains on his career as a professional cricketer, here’s a recap of his standout performances.

He retired from international cricket in 2016, but on Tuesday, 6 August, Brendon McCullum announced that the ongoing Global T20 Canada would be his last assignment as a player.

The 37-year-old former New Zealand captain continued playing Twenty20 leagues around the world, and was due to play in the Euro T20 Slam but has advised organisers of his decision to retire.

In a statement announcing his decision, the big-hitting batsman said he’s drawing curtains on a 20-year-long professional career “with pride and satisfaction,” and will now be concentrating on television commentary and coaching.

So as the cricketing world bids farewell to Baz, the cricketer, here’s a look at the career highlights of the Kiwi veteran.

Tests

• When he stepped on to the field vs Australia in the Wellington Test on 12 February 2016, McCullum became the first cricketer to appear in 100 Tests in succession since making his debut.
  
• With 107 sixes, he holds a World record for most sixes in Tests.
  
• McCullum hit 33 sixes in 16 innings (9 Tests) in 2014 – a world record for most sixes in a calendar year in Tests.  Adam Gilchrist (22 sixes in 15 Tests in 2005) and Virender Sehwag (22 sixes in 14 Tests in 2008) have the next best tallies in a calendar year.
  
• He hit a 54-ball hundred (a Test record for the quickest century) during his innings of 145 off 79 balls against Australia in his farewell Test at Christchurch in February 2016, surpassing the previous record of 56 balls taken by Vivian Richards (Windies vs England at St. John's in 1985-86) and Misbah-ul-Haq (Pakistan vs Australia at Abu Dhabi in 2014-15).
  
• McCullum registered three double centuries in Tests in 2014 to become the first and only New Zealand batsman to do so in a calendar year. Only Michael Clarke (Australia) has recorded more double centuries in a calendar year – four in 2012.

It’s been real... pic.twitter.com/sdCqLZTDz6

— Brendon McCullum (@Bazmccullum) August 5, 2019

• He is the only New Zealand batsman to post a triple century in Tests – 302 off 559 balls vs India at Wellington in February 2014.
  
• Only New Zealand batsman to register four innings of 200 or more in Tests.  Stephen Fleming and Ross Taylor have managed three double centuries each.
  
• He’s one of two New Zealand openers to have registered two double centuries – the first being Glenn Turner.
  
• Only two Kiwi batsmen have managed more Test runs than McCullum's tally of 6,453 in 101 Tests – Stephen Fleming (7,172 at an average of 40.06 in 111 matches) and Ross Taylor (6,727 at an average of 46.71 in 92 Tests).
  
• McCullum led New Zealand in 31 Tests, winning eleven, losing eleven and drawing the remaining nine.
  
• He is the only batsman to hit eleven sixes in a Test innings twice – during his innings of 202 off 188 balls vs Pakistan at Sharjah in November 2014 and 195 off 134 balls vs Sri Lanka at Christchurch in December 2014.
  
• His strike rate of 145.52 during his outstanding knock of 195 off 134 balls vs Sri Lanka at Christchurch in December 2014 was a world record for an innings of 150 or more, obliterating the 132.14 registered by Nathan Astle during his innings of 222 off 168 balls for New Zealand vs England at Christchurch in March 2002.

• Hit 26 runs off an over (466046) from Suranga Lakmal (Sri Lanka) at Christchurch in 2014-15, emulating a New Zealand Test record held by Craig McMillan (444464) off Younis Khan (Pakistan) at Hamilton in 2000-01.
  
• Managed 1224 runs (avg 68.00) in ten Tests vs India – the most by him against an opponent. He remains the only New Zealand batsman to accomplish the feat against India. Also his average against India is his highest against any opponent. Only once he could amass 1,000 runs in a calendar year – 1164 at an average of 72.75, including four hundreds, in 9 Tests in 2014.
  
• Aggregated 535 in four innings at an average of 133.75 in the two-Test series vs India in New Zealand in 2013-14, including two innings of 200-plus – 224 at Auckland and 302 at Wellington – his best Test series and his only instance of 500 runs in a Test series

T20Is

• McCullum became the first player to score 2,000 runs in T20 Internationals – his tally being 2140 runs at an average of 35.66 in 71 matches.
  
• He was the first batsman to hit two centuries in T20Is – 123 off 58 balls vs Bangladesh at Pallekele on 21 September 2012 and 116 not out off 56 balls vs Australia at Christchurch on 28 February 2010.
  
• He is one of 13 batsmen to hit centuries in all three formats of the game.

ODIs

• Brendon McCullum’s best series/tournament has been the 2014-15 ICC Cricket World Cup, aggregating 328 (avg of 36.44) in nine matches, including four fifties. His best performance in a bilateral series has been vs England in 2007-08, amassing 261 (ave.65.25) in five innings, including three fifties.
  
• He hit 200 sixes to become the first and only New Zealand batsman to achieve the distinction.
  
• He is one of six New Zealand batsmen to have scored 6000 runs or more in ODIs.
  
• He smashed 10 sixes during his innings of 166 off 135 balls vs Ireland at Aberdeen on 1 July 2008 to become the first New Zealand batsman to achieve the said feat. Since then only three New Zealand batsmen have registered more sixes in an innings – 14 by Corey Anderson vs West Indies at Queenstown on 1 January 2014, 11 by Martin Guptill (twice) – vs West Indies at Wellington on 21 March 2015 and vs South Africa at Hamilton on 1 March 2017.

• He hit an 18-ball fifty during his innings of 77 off 25 balls vs England at Westpac Stadium, Wellington on 20 February 2015 – a World Cup record for the quickest fifty.
  
• During the aforesaid innings, he became the first batsman to produce a strike rate of 300-plus in a World Cup innings – 308.00 (minimum fifty).
  
• He remains the only batsman to have batted in nine different batting positions (1 to 9) in Tests as well as ODIs.
  
• He led New Zealand in 62 matches, winning 36 and losing 22 (Tied 1 & NR 3) – a win percentage of 61.86. No other New Zealand captain enjoys a winning % of 60.00 (minimum 10 ODIs).
  
• His tally of 242 dismissals (227 catches + 15 stumpings) is the highest by a New Zealand wicketkeeper in ODIs.
  
• He effected 452 dismissals (418 catches + 34 stumpings) in 278 matches – a New Zealand record for most dismissals in International Cricket (Tests/ODIs/T20Is).