Playing it the Baz way

A man scoring a 54-ball century in a Test match against the mightiest team in the world surely shouldn't be retiring. At 34, when some of his more illustrious contemporaries have traipsed along till 37, 38, even 40, surely not. But then all decisions that Brendon McCullum takes have a touch of intrepidity about them. Like the one when he decided to give up wicket-keeping and become a specialist batsman relatively late in his career; or the one when he chose to bat first against South Africa in Cape Town, on a strip that was almost as green as the outfield, in his first Test as captain. That the Kiwis were brutally crushed by Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel in that game is a separate matter.

Retiring in your prime, while still mercilessly blunting oppositions, is a bridge too far for most. Not for McCullum. Not for someone who operated to a different set of physical rules; someone who sagely and astutely chose the bowlers only he could execute. McCullum was always a rare specimen, the kind that enraptured and astounded in equal measure. The announcement of his retirement was a mere assertion of the same.

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After Australia had registered a comfortable win in Christchurch on Wednesday, skipper Steven Smith aptly summed up the gargantuan impact the Kiwi captain had on the game. "It's pleasing to not have to compete against him again. But it's so disappointing. Cricket has lost such an influential figure today," said Smith.

Never since Richard Hadlee has New Zealand cricket been witness to a man of McCullum's stature; someone whose name on the teamsheet made crowds throng stadiums. In tiny New Zealand, even Test match venues were filled with expectant spectators when McCullum was captain. He brought with him a peculiar unpredictability that fans adored. Despite his somewhat middling numbers, McCullum, for most, will forever remain a once-in-a-generation cricketer.

It is easy to overstate McCullum's greatness. Yet, words somehow fail to do justice to his achievements. As a modern-day batsman, he had few peers. The nimble footwork, the exhilarating cocktail of power and touch, the amphetamine-crazed shift of feet, the perfect timing of the fatal assault - McCullum, in the shorter formats at least, towered above the rest. At times, he was a diminutive ballet dancer annihilating the world with force instead of grace.

The memories will linger on. The devastating 158 against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the first-ever game of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the 224 against India in sun-soaked Auckland in 2014, the match-saving, cyclonic triple century against the same opposition just a week later - astonishing performances from a man who started out as mishmash lower-order batsman.

The 34-year-old leads the run-scoring charts in T20 internationals, being the only man to have scored two centuries in the format. For long, he held the record for the highest T20 international score - a truly breathtaking 123 against Bangladesh at Pallekele in the 2012 T20 World Cup - before being surpassed by Aaron Finch.

Yet, it was McCullum's leadership that made him stand out. When he took over from Ross Taylor as captain in all three formats, McCullum was criticised for his opportunistic attitude and smugness. Little did his detractors at the time know that McCullum possessed the ability to transform an average New Zealand side into one that could strike fear in opponents all over the world.

As captain, McCullum was shrewd and proactive. More important, he was fearless; qualities that transfused beautifully at the 2015 World Cup. McCullum was the catalyst for his team's charge to the final in a tournament that the neutrals wanted New Zealand so desperately to win. But the brilliance was so often punctuated by the sporadic flashes of erraticism. In the final against Australia, McCullum charged Mitchell Starc for three consecutive balls in the first over of the match, eventually getting his stumps smashed on the fourth. "That's how I've always played," he said afterwards.

Even as McCullum leaves a gaping void in New Zealand cricket, the heartening part is that he'll still be around. He will turn out for the newly-formed Gujarat Lions in the next edition of the IPL. Back home, he will still be a star attraction while playing for the Otago Volts. In England, fans will watch him play for Middlesex. Yet, as the thought of his departure from international cricket sinks in, there is a sense of disappointment. Baz - as his teammates liked to call him - will be sorely missed.