McCullum brings fury for Trinbago Knight Riders
Monday, June 20 2016
The People’s Newspaper continues to profile the players of the reigning champions Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) as the countdown continues for the start of the 2016 Caribbean Premier League. Newsday and the TKR franchise have formed a partnership which would see Newsday getting behind-thescenes access to the players of the TKR and its support staff for the duration of the CPL. Fans can expect in-depth coverage of the Trinbago Knight Riders players, their off-field activities, previews and of course match reports. The Trinbago Knight Riders open their season against the St Lucia Zouks on June 29 at the Queen’s Park Oval, St Clair.
Ballistic Batsman. If ever there was a cricketing version of a nuclear weapon, Brendon Barrie McCullum would be the one.
The amount of damage he can do to a bowling attack is simply unmatchable. He is nicknamed ‘Baz’, and very much like the Greek meaning of Baz, McCullum is kingly when it comes to batting in all formats of the game.
Born in Dunedin New Zealand, McCullum is a legend for the Kiwis. Playing over 100 Test matches and 250 ODIs, McCullum has served his nation well.
But more than the numbers, it’s McCullum’s ability to lift his team and decimate the opposition that has made him his country’s prodigal son.
In his early years, McCullum used to call himself as a “brash†batsman. But the manner in which he disciplined his batting while still keeping the aggressive touch has been a learning experience for many budding cricketers.
Such was the impact of this wicket-keeper batsman that he was elevated to lead his country.
In the 2015 World Cup held in Australia and New Zealand, Mc- Cullum inspired his team to their first ever World Cup final.
As a T20 specialist, McCullum is a ‘dynamite’. He made a rollicking start to the inaugural Indian Premier League in 2008 by smashing 158 runs in the first ever game while playing for Kolkata Knight Riders. Since then McCullum is feared by many oppositions for his fearless approach at the start of the innings.
A walking assassin, McCullum has been often seen dancing down the track and hitting the bowlers with ferocious power to all parts of the ground. Mc- Cullum retired from all forms of international cricket in February this year, but that means he can concentrate fully for all the franchisees he plays for in the T20 leagues around the world.
For Trinbago Knight Riders McCullum is a pivotal figure.
With the likes of South African Hashim Amla, Pakistan’s Umar Akmal, West Indies’ Darren Bravo in the team to provide stability, McCullum will give the team the X-factor needed to take the game away from the opposition.
McCullum is a great ambassador of the game as well, and such was evident in the recent Colin Cowdrey lecture he delivered in England earlier this month.
Inspiring everyone to play the game in the right spirit and keep humility at the centre of the gamesmanship were a few lessons McCullum tried imparting to the young cricketers taking up the game.
The New Zealander has played lot of his T20 cricket with TKR skipper Dwayne Bravo, while they were in Chennai Super Kings set-up in the IPL. Bravo would love to have the effervescent batsman in the team and will surely bank on him to give flying starts in most matches.
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