Eng v NZ Test Betting: McCullum heroics bring to mind another great wicketkeeper/batsman

Profiles / Andrew Hughes / 21 May 2008 / Leave a Comment

Inclement weather helped a profligate England to let the first test slip through their fingers. But, were it not for a marvellous Brendon McCullum knock in New Zealand's first innings, England could have strolled to victory.

The situation was dire. Ross Taylor had just launched himself at the wrong delivery and New Zealand were forty-one for three on the sort of bowler-friendly Lords day where even James Anderson was amongst the wickets. Enter Brendon McCullum. In following the philosophy that attack was the best form of defence, he wasn't deviating from the methods of those who preceded him. He just did it better. Over the next hour and a half, he bludgeoned a hearty ninety-seven replete with show-stopping blows, none more astonishing than the straight six he launched over the longest corner of the ground off a quick ball from Broad. By the time he succumbed to a patient Panesar, the tourists' ship had been steadied.

It was just the latest high point in a range of batting peaks scaled by New Zealand's vice captain in the last eighteen months. He racked up eighty in twenty-eight balls against Bangladesh, plundered two hundred and fifty runs in the one-day series with England and, in the opening match of the IPL, scored the first ever one hundred and fifty in a Twenty20 game. Prior to December 2006, his one-day average languished at little over twenty. Since then it has doubled.

You might be forgiven for thinking that he is a relatively new face in world cricket. In fact, he made his debut on the 2001-02 tour to Australia. The weakness of New Zealand domestic cricket means that he has had to do his learning on the unforgiving international stage and it has been a long apprenticeship. But he has come through it and his blossoming in recent months is a reflection of his increasing ease in international cricket and a rediscovered confidence in his own natural timing and fearless stroke play.

It is natural that comparisons will be made with Adam Gilchrist but they are very different players. Gilchrist was perhaps the more elegant of the two, employing a high grip and supple wrists, placing the ball as much as smashing it. McCullum takes a lower hold on the bat handle and eschews unnecessary footwork, unless it is to shuffle down the pitch to confuse the bowler. The power he exerts through his bat is reminiscent of Ian Botham, particularly the audacious upper cuts and mistimed hooks that still carry for six. He takes the aerial route fearlessly and even his fours tend not to bounce more than once before whacking the boundary boards.

What the two do have in common is a similar philosophy of play, as though their batting dials are stuck on 'attack', regardless of the situation. McCullum is an avowed admirer of Gilchrist's determination to play his natural game in all circumstances and the mental fortitude he showed in continuing to trust his methods during periods of poor form.

Of course, in terms of raw statistics, McCullum has some way to go to. Though their limited overs records are fairly similar, Gilchrist was by far the better Test batsman. After thirty-three Tests, McCullum averages thirty-two compared to Gilchrist's fifty-nine at the same stage of his career. And McCullum's only Test centuries have come against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.

If he is to go on to emulate Gilchrist, he has to translate his limited overs record into the language of five-day cricket. He certainly won't be short of opportunities. New Zealand's woeful top order batting has prompted the selectors to move him up to five. But if they hope it might encourage more circumspection, they are likely to be disappointed. The evidence of Lords is that he will continue to trust in his instincts. Given that he is only twenty-six, he has the time, talent and opportunity to become one of the greats of New Zealand cricket. And if he falls short, he will undoubtedly entertain us richly along the way.

Meanwhile, more McCullum heroics may well be needed in the Second Test at Old Trafford. Although they battled well in the First Test, New Zealand's well-publicised vulnerability on these bouncy wickets means they are as long as [7.0] to take the lead in this series. Those prepared to overlook England's laboured inability to turn a dominant position into victory at Lords can back the home side at [1.77] whilst the draw is [3.4].