One of the finest cricketers the world has ever seen, New Zealand international Brendon McCullum bid-good bye to the sport a bit too early according to fans and pundits of the sport.
With a stellar career of 101 Tests, 260 One-Day Internationals, and 71 Twenty20 Internationals, McCullum is one of the best players to play for the Black Caps and his captaincy is what bought New Zealand back to competing with the best in the world.
In a recent interview with sports website Cricbuzz, the 34-year old opened up about a lot of things surrounding his life and gave us a glimpse of being the man himself.
He revealed that hailing from a sports family helped him since he was a child and revealed that he and his brother, fellow NZ international Nathan McCullum used to play a lot of backyard cricket.
“It was just in our blood; not just cricket, but other sports, too. We’re really fortunate that we both ended up going on to represent New Zealand. You could say our parents left us some very good genes,” McCullum said talking about sports running in his family.
The hard hitting batsman has over the years defied laws of the sport and has provided some great entertainment with the bat in hand. He was asked about his mind-set when facing a bowler and this is what he had to say:
“If you’re playing well and you got the bowler under pressure, then you probably predetermine a little bit more.”
“Whereas, if you’re trying to get your innings underway, or maybe if you’re not as comfortable on the crease, then you might try and react to what the bowler delivers first then try to premeditate,” he explained.
He also revealed an interesting fact about his batting. He said that most of his batting are premeditated and that he tries to get into good position even before the ball is released.
“Most of my innings are premeditated, to be honest,” he said.
He also stressed on the fact that instincts play a big role and that not following them can land people in trouble.
“You have to trust your instincts most times. It’s when you go against it most times that you find yourself in trouble,” he exclaimed.
The 34-year old has induced a great level of self-confidence in the national side which is now competing with the best in the business and McCullum hoped that this would continue for a long time.
He said, “Hopefully, that was a legacy I left from a captaincy point of view.”
He was also asked about his decision to retire already. He explained that it was a decision that he had to take at the moment and that he is happy to have left the team on a high.
“I think, sometimes, guys who play for too long might lose that, and I figured if I played for too long, then I might have lost that. I want to look back the rest of my life and say how great those times were that I represented New Zealand. Hence, I decided to finish when I did,” he explained.
Before signing off, the former NZ skipper revealed what he has learnt from the game.
He said that the sport has taught him the ability to fight and go for it even when something is out of reach.
“It’s not about the runs and the wickets and results necessarily. It’s about the guys you meet and the friendships you make across the world, not just in your own country, but from around the world,” he added.