Brendon McCullum. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)
Brendon McCullum turned 42 on Wednesday, September 27, and the cricket fraternity sent in their birthday wishes for the current England head coach in Test cricket.
McCullum has donned various hats during his cricketing career. He started as a gritty wicketkeeper-batter who would score crucial runs for New Zealand lower down the order. While the grit remained intact, as his playing career went along, he transformed himself into one of the most destructive batters in world cricket at the top of the order. McCullum also captained New Zealand to their first ODI World Cup final in 2015. His ultra-aggressive style of captaincy received a lot of praise back in the day.
After bringing the curtains down on an illustrious playing career, McCullum ventured into coaching and didn’t take much time to make a mark. In CPL 2020, McCullum guided Trinbago Knight Riders to their fourth title. He also guided Kolkata Knight Riders to the finals of the IPL, in 2021, for the first time in seven years.
On May 12, 2022, McCullum was appointed as head coach of England’s red-ball team. In partnership with captain Ben Stokes, McCullum created a fabulous atmosphere in the England dressing room, where players were given the license to play fearlessly, without worrying about their places in the side.
The sense of freedom, he instilled in the players, paid rich dividends as England changed the way Test cricket was being played. Their approach of playing high-risk-high-reward cricket was fondly named ‘Bazball’ and it has received plaudits from fans as well as experts.
McCullum managed to entertain cricket enthusiasts during his memorable cricket career and the England team under his coaching is doing the same. The living legend celebrated his 42nd birthday on Wednesday and he received a lot of heartwarming wishes from his fans from all around the world.
Brendon McCullum in 2015 WC
65 (49) vs SL
77 (25) vs ENG
50 (24) vs AUS
42 (19) vs AFG
59 (26) vs SA [Semi Final]
Happy birthday Baz 🎂⚡️ One of the most electric cricketers pic.twitter.com/wZt2QI4uWr
— 𝐒𝐈𝐕𝐘²² 🇺🇸🇮🇳 (@Sivy_KW578) September 27, 2023
— 𝐒𝐈𝐕𝐘²² 🇺🇸🇮🇳 (@Sivy_KW578)
✫ Former #KKR captain.
✫ First ever player to score a century in the #IPL.
✫ 1 time IPL Champion with #KKR.
✫ Former Head Coach of #KKR.Wishing a very Happy Birthday to Brendon McCullum! 💜#AmiKKR pic.twitter.com/b4z9xzbBd8
— Rokte Amar KKR 🟣🟡 (@Rokte_Amarr_KKR) September 26, 2023
— Rokte Amar KKR 🟣🟡 (@Rokte_Amarr_KKR) September 26, 2023
👕 432 international
🏏 14,676 runs
💯 19 century
⭐ A pioneer in T20 cricket
✅ First 🇳🇿 to score a Test 300
✅ Fastest Test 💯
✅ 2nd most Test sixes
✅ Led 🇳🇿 to their first men’s World Cup final
✅ The first IPL centurionHappy birthday, Brendon McCullum! 🎂@Bazmccullum pic.twitter.com/jy5y8yTTCj
— 𝑨𝒍𝒍 𝑨𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝑵𝒆𝒘 𝒁𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒅 🇳🇿 (@NZcricketfans) September 27, 2023
Happy birthday to #BrendonMcCullum, the man who introduced the baseball era to England cricket and strengthened the team immensely! pic.twitter.com/pAVfsJYPBS
— CricTour (@CrikTour) September 27, 2023
Happy Birthday to Brendon McCullum♥️
One of the most explosive batsmen of his time🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/nh6tZEu1KU— Akshat Goyal (@AkshatG63316497) September 27, 2023
— Akshat Goyal (@AkshatG63316497) September 27, 2023
Happy Birthday to Bazz ball inventor Brendon McCullum
— علی زین چٹھہ (@Zayn_9818) September 27, 2023
Brendon McCullum in 2015 WC
65 (49) vs SL
77 (25) vs ENG
50 (24) vs AUS
42 (19) vs AFG
59 (26) vs SA [Semi Final]Happy birthday Baz 🎂⚡️ One of the most electric cricketers pic.twitter.com/wZt2QI4uWr
— 𝐒𝐈𝐕𝐘²² 🇺🇸🇮🇳 (@Sivy_KW578) September 27, 2023
Happy Birthday to the one of the most Fierce Batter, Brendon McCullum 𓃵 @Bazmccullum pic.twitter.com/GR6Mk3YQik
— Dheeraj (Less Active)𝕏 (@Dheeraj_Nayak22) September 27, 2023
One of the fearless batters in world cricket. pic.twitter.com/mmjsSCiHUi
— CricAsh (@ash_cric) September 27, 2023
— CricAsh (@ash_cric) September 27, 2023