Brendon McCullum announces retirement from all forms of cricket

So far, McCullum has featured in 370 T20 matches - scoring 9922 runs at a strike rate of 136.49.

Published - 06 Aug 2019, 06:23 IST | Updated - 06 Aug 2019, 06:23 IST

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Former New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum, on Monday, announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. The legendary cricketer also confirmed he will no longer be part of the Euro T20 Slam. McCullum will bring down curtains on his illustrious career after Toronto Nationals’ final league game against Montreal Tigers in the ongoing Global T20 League.

The dashing batsman, Baz, will go down in cricket history as one of the game’s most fearsome ball-strikers and one of the finest captains to have led New Zealand. His blistering knock of 158 in the first-ever Indian Premier League game will always remain one of the destructive knocks seen in the game. The hard-hitting batsman also scored the fastest-ever Test hundred in his final appearance in whites.

He will be remembered for changing New Zealand’s fortunes in international cricket and giving them an attacking look. His method turned out to be very successful as New Zealand made it to their first World Cup final under his captaincy in 2015. Well known for his exploits in limited-overs cricket, McCullum also enjoyed a great record in Tests. He is New Zealand’s second-highest Test run-scorer and is also the first New Zealander to post a Test triple century.

Brendon McCullum’s statement:

Brendon McCullum stated that he is proud of his career that spanned for two decades before saying that he was finding it tough to continue in recent months.

“As much as I am proud of what I’ve achieved in my 20-year professional career – more than I ever could have dreamed of when I first entered the game – I have felt the drive to keep going harder to maintain in recent months,” he said in a statement posted on Twitter.

“I look back with pride over the way I’ve played the game and what I’ve achieved,” McCullum said. “With New Zealand we broke boundaries and established a style of play that earned us respect across the world. In T20 cricket, I’ve enjoyed so many varied challenges, I can leave the game knowing I left no stone unturned.”