Full name Brendon McCullum
Born September 27, 1981, Dunedin, Otago
Current age 29 years 116 days
Major teams New Zealand, Canterbury, Glamorgan, Kolkata Knight Riders, New South Wales, Otago, Sussex
Playing role Wicketkeeper batsman
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm medium
Fielding position Wicketkeeper
Relation Father - SJ McCullum, Brother - NL McCullum
Brendon McCullum Profile
Brash, brutal and brilliant to watch, Brendon McCullum can bruise bowling attacks like few other men in international cricket. A wicketkeeper-batsman, McCullum has been used as an opener in the shorter formats and lower down in Tests, but whenever he arrives at the crease it's impossible to look away. He muscles balls over both sides of the field and was responsible for getting the IPL off to an electrifying start, lighting up the tournament's first match with 158 and showing what the format had to offer.
He also became the second man, after Chris Gayle, to score a Twenty20 international century when he brazenly scooped 155kph offerings from Shaun Tait and Dirk Nannes over the wicketkeeper's head in Christchurch in 2009-10. McCullum describes himself as "brash" and that innings was the proof, but he has also been a key part of New Zealand's Test team since 2004. In the longer format he has generally batted at No. 7 and in his second series, entertained the crowd with 96 at Lord's.
His first two Test centuries came against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe and there were questions over his performances against tougher opponents. Eventually, five years after his Test debut, he raised his bat against one of the top teams with 115 against India in Napier. It kicked off an excellent 12-month period during which McCullum scored three Test centuries and averaged 48.60. A reliable wicketkeeper, McCullum first made the ODI team as a batsman only and in recent times he has expressed a desire to give up the gloves and focus on his batting. Nevertheless, he has the most dismissals of any New Zealand wicketkeeper in ODIs and will overtake Adam Parore's mark of 201 in Tests, if he stays behind the stumps.
Fast Facts
* He was only the second player to score a century in all three formats of international cricket.
* He was the first player to reach the 1000 run mark in T20s.
* He and Chris Cairns are the only Kiwi batsmen to hit more than 100 sixes in ODIs.
* He holds the highest score for a NZ wicketkeeper batsman in both Tests and ODIs.
* His 166 is the third-highest score by a New Zealander in ODIs with his unbeaten 116 being the highest score by a New Zealander in T20s.
* He is New Zealand's highest run-getter as a wicketkeeper in both Tests and ODIs.
* He is the Black Caps' most successful 'keeper in ODIs and one of only three Kiwi keepers to have affected more than 150 dismissals in Tests.
* His unbeaten 158 for the Kolkata Knight Riders is currently the highest score in a T20 game.
* He is also the only Kiwi 'keeper to have affected 5 dismissals in an ODI on three occasions.
* McCullum holds the record for most number of dismissals (19) for a Kiwi keeper in an ODI series which he achieved against India in 2002-03.
* In 2009 against Pakistan, he became the first NZ wicketkeeper to affect 9 dismissals in a Test match.
* His scored the fastest half century in a WC (off 20 balls) and he also shares the Kiwi fastest fifty record with Ross Taylor which came of just 19 balls.
* He shares New Zealand's record first-wicket partnership (274) and record sixth-wicket partnership (165) in ODIs with James Marshall and Craig McMillan respectively.
* He is the joint-holder of New Zealand's record sixth-wicket partnership (339) in Tests along with Martin Guptill.
* He is the only New Zealand player to have affected more than 400 dismissals as a fielder (including wicketkeeper) in all formats of the game combined together.
* He holds the record for the fastest century (52 balls) and the highest individual score (170) in New Zealand's domestic one day history.
* McCullum won the ICC 'T20 Performance of the Year' in 2010 for his unbeaten 116 against Australia coming of just 56 balls.
