Brendon McCullum continues to remain in the headlines even after his retirement. It is not only down to the fact that he is the coach of England’s Test team but it is his philosophy that makes him such an intriguing personality. In his playing days, he was a fierce hitter of the ball who would bat with a decluttered approach. On this day in 2016, he bid farewell to international cricket but not without leaving an indelible impact. McCullum broke the record for the fastest hundred in Test cricket in the last Test match of his career.
Arch-rivals awestruck
New Zealand played a 2-match Test series against Australia in their home in 2016. The first Test was won by a comprehensive margin by the visitors to take the lead in the series. There was no alternative for the Kiwis but to make a comeback in the second Test if they had to draw the series. Captain McCullum took the responsibility and delivered with the bat. The Australian skipper Steve Smith put the home side to bat first after winning the toss. The Australian bowlers took the early advantage in the first session with the new ball. A few early dismissals put the Kiwis under tremendous pressure. The home team lost 4 wickets with just 74 runs in their account.
Just when the Kangaroos thought they were in control, Brendon McCullum initiated the pushback with his counterattack. He farmed the strike and started smashing the Australian bowlers around the park. The visitors were left shell-shocked by the retaliatory destruction from the Kiwi captain. McCullum completed his century in just 54 balls and broke the record for the fastest hundred held jointly by Viv Richards and Misbah-ul-Haq (56 balls). He continued with his explosive batting and ended up with 145 runs in 79 balls before he was dismissed by James Pattinson. As a result of this masterclass, New Zealand recovered from the early setbacks and posted 370 runs on the board in the first innings.
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