Brendon McCullum

Brendon McCullum

New Zealand international cricketer, who plays for the Otago Volts at provincial level. He is a wicket-keeper, as well as an aggressive batsman who opens in One-day Internationals and is known for his fast scoring rate. His brother Nathan McCullum is also a first-class cricketer at provincial level, and their father Stu McCullum was a long-serving first-class player for Otago.

McCullum also plays for Kolkata Knight Riders in theIndian Premier League. He scored 158 not out in the inaugural match of the competition on 18 April 2008. The innings is currently the world highest score by a batsman in a Twenty20 match

He played three under-19 Test matches for New Zealand in 2000/01 and scored 455 runs at 151.66 with three hundreds. The runs were made in quick time too, coming at a strike rate of 95.58 runs per 100 balls.

In July 2002 while playing club cricket in Australia for Northern Territory side Palmerston Cricket Club, he scored a record 250 not out in less than 100 balls. It is believed to be the highest ever score made in the territory

In 2004 he played in a Test series against Englandand scored what was then his highest score, an innings of 96 at Lord's. His maiden Test century came several months later when he scored 143 againstBangladesh. He fell just short of his second Test hundred in a game against Sri Lanka but instead scored his second 65 when dismissed one short of his hundred. His second century would later come with a run a ball 111 against Zimbabwe.

He was selected in the 20-man ICC World XI squad for the ICC Super Series in July 2005.

In March 2006, he was charged with bringing the game into disrepute during an ODI against West Indies, but was found not guilty.

In 2004 he played in a Test series against Englandand scored what was then his highest score, an innings of 96 at Lord's. His maiden Test century came several months later when he scored 143 againstBangladesh. He fell just short of his second Test hundred in a game against Sri Lanka but instead scored his second 65 when dismissed one short of his hundred. His second century would later come with a run a ball 111 against Zimbabwe.

He was selected in the 20-man ICC World XI squad for the ICC Super Series in July 2005.

In March 2006, he was charged with bringing the game into disrepute during an ODI against West Indies, but was found not guilty.^[2]

McCullum played for Glamorgan in 2006 and he scored 160 opening the batting against Leicestershire in the County Championship.

On 20 February 2007, he scored 86 not out as New Zealand went on to be the first team to whitewash Australia in a 3 match ODI series since 1997. He struck a massive six off the first ball of the last over against Nathan Bracken to level the scores, before he finished it off with a boundary. In his matchwinning innings he partnered Craig McMillan to a world record equalling 6th wicket partnership of 165. [2]

On 21 March 2007, he set a new World Cup record, by smashing 50 runs from just 20 balls againstCanada in St Lucia. He finished his innings with 52 runs from 21 balls, including 10 fours and 5 sixes, with a strike rate of 247.61. The previous record had been set by Mark Boucher (South Africa) againstThe Netherlands on March 16th (50 runs from 21 balls).

On 14 December 2007 he scored his highest ever ODI score of 96(103) against Australia. He was caught by Nathan Bracken off the bowling of Brad Hogg after 35.3 overs.

On 31 December 2007 he scored 50 from just 19 balls against Bangladesh. He finished his innings with 80 runs from only 28 balls, including 9 fours and 6 sixes with a strike rate of 285.71 resulting in a 10 wicket win: chasing 93 from 50 overs and achieving it making 95 from only 6 overs.

On 12 February 2008 he scored 50 from 27 balls against England. He finished his innings with 80 runs from only 47 balls, including 8 fours and 5 sixes with a strike rate of 170.21 resulting in a 10 wicket win and giving New Zealand a 2 nil lead in the 5 match series.

On 2 March 2008, before facing England for the test series, he was involved in the State Shield Final versus Auckland Aces, in scoring 170 runs for the Otago Volts to help beat the Aces at Eden Park's outer oval, and helped to chased down a daunting total of 310 for 7, he broke multiple State Shield batting records.

• State Shield (One Day) record of the fastest 100 (off 52 balls), including 14 fours and 5 sixes.

• When he got to 135, he scored the highest individual runs for an Otago Volts player.

• When he got to 162, he scored the highest score by any player in a domestic one-day match (Shell or State competitions)

• He went on to score 170 runs, including 19 fours and 7 sixes.

On 18 April 2008, he claimed the record for highest individual score in a Twenty20 innings, scoring 158* from only 73 balls, which included 13 sixes and 10 fours in boundaries, for the Kolkata Knight Ridersagainst Bangalore Royal Challengers in the first game of the Indian Premier League helping them get a much deserved 140 run victory.^[3] This eclipsed the previous record mark of 141, held by AustralianCameron White, McCullum faced an over White bowled in that match and smashed him for 24, it was White's only over in that match.^[4] In the same match he also claimed the record for most sixes (13) in a Twenty20 innings^[5], the most sixes in an individual Twenty20 innings has since been surpassed by Englishman Graham Napier.