Brendon Barrie McCullum (born 27 September 1981) is a New Zealand cricket coach and former player who is the head coach of the England men's cricket team in T20s and ODIs, and formerly Test matches until his sacking as England Test coach in July 2026. Representing New Zealand, he captained the team in all formats. McCullum was renowned for his quick scoring, notably setting a record for the fastest Test century. He is considered one of New Zealand's most successful batsmen and captained the team to the finals of the 2015 Cricket World Cup and 2009 ICC Champions Trophy. He is also an inductee of the New Zealand Cricket Hall of Fame.
McCullum is the former leading run scorer in Twenty20 International (T20I) cricket and was the first player to score 2000 runs in T20Is.McCullum inches closer to 2000-run mark in T20s . Rediff.com Cricket (23 March 2014).Brendon McCullum becomes first batsman to complete 2,000 runs in T20 Internationals . Cricket Country (29 March 2014). Retrieved on 27 May 2018. His innings of 123 against Bangladesh in the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 was the highest score made by a New Zealand cricketer in the format and he was the first New Zealander to score a triple hundred in a Test match, 302 runs against India in February 2014. In 2014, he also became the first New Zealander to score 1,000 Test runs in a calendar year and in his final Test match in February 2016 he scored the fastest Test century, reaching his hundred in 54 balls. McCullum was the first batsman to score two T20I centuries.
On 22 December 2015, McCullum announced he would retire from international cricket at the end of the southern summer, joining his brother Nathan McCullum who had earlier that year announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. He retired from international duty on 24 February 2016 and from all forms of cricket in August 2019.
Domestic career On 3 March 2008, before facing England for the test series, McCullum was involved in the State Shield Final versus the Auckland Aces, scoring 170 runs for the Otago Volts to help beat the Aces at Eden Park's outer oval, and helped to chase down a daunting total of 7 for 310, he broke multiple State Shield batting records. He scored the fastest LA hundred off 52 balls, including 14 fours and 5 sixes. With 170 runs in the match, McCullum scored the highest score by any player in a domestic one-day match (Shell or State competitions) overtaking Blair Hartland's previous record.
McCullum played for Glamorgan in 2006 and he scored 160 opening the batting against Leicestershire in the County Championship. On 24 January 2009, he lined up for New South Wales in the final of Australia's KFC Twenty20 Big Bash. This was an exercise to allow him to be eligible to play for them in the Twenty20 Champions League. This sparked criticism however despite opinion States are permitted to have one overseas player in their squad. McCullum also donated his match fee from the game to Otago Junior Cricket.
On 16 January 2010 during the 2009-10 HRV Cup, vs Auckland Aces at University Oval, McCullum hit 108 not out off 67 deliveries, which included 10 fours and four sixes to lead Otago Volts to victory with three balls to spare. McCullum reached his 50 off 32 deliveries and his century off 65 deliveries.
While playing for Warwickshire in the 2015 T20 Blast McCullum hit what was at the time the highest score in England's domestic T20 cup, 158* from just 64 balls. The innings remains the highest T20 score by a batsman at Edgbaston. Following his announcement to retire from international cricket in 2015, he signed with Middlesex for the 2016 NatWest T20 Blast, a blow for Warwickshire who had hoped he would return to them
In September 2016 he signed with the Lahore Qalandars for the 2017 season of the Pakistan Super League and will be the team's captain.
In the inaugural Indian Premier League tournament in 2008 he played for Kolkata Knight Riders. On 18 April 2008 in the first-ever IPL match, he achieved the highest Twenty20 individual score in an innings, 158* against RCB. This eclipsed the previous record mark of 141, held by Australian Cameron White. Coincidentally, McCullum faced an over from White during the match and scored 24 from it; it was White's only over in that match. This record was eventually broken by Chris Gayle when he piled on 175 runs in IPL 2013. In the same match he also claimed the record for most sixes (13) in a Twenty20 innings, which was later surpassed by Englishman Graham Napier (16).
He was bought by Kochi Tuskers Kerala in the 2011 IPL auctions. He returned to the Knight Riders in 2012. In the 2014 IPL auctions, McCullum was bought by Chennai Super Kings. He was given the role of opening the innings along with West Indian Dwayne Smith and the pair was considered the most dangerous opening pair in the league's history. In 2018 he was released by CSK and bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2018.
During the RCB's season opener against Kolkata Knight Riders during the 2018 IPL season, he reached 9000 runs in all forms of T20 cricket and became only the second player after Chris Gayle to achieve the milestone.
International career In 2004, McCullum played in a Test series against England and scored 96 runs at Lord's. His maiden Test century came several months later when he scored 143 against Bangladesh. He fell just short of his second Test hundred in a game against Sri Lanka when dismissed one short of his hundred. His second century would later come with a run a ball 111 against Zimbabwe.
He was selected in the 20-man ICC World XI squad for the ICC Super Series in July 2005. On 20 February 2007, he scored 86 not out as New Zealand went on to be the first team to whitewash Australia in a three-match ODI series since 1997. During the innings he partnered with Craig McMillan to score 165, equalling the world record for a 6th wicket partnership.Records | One-Day Internationals | Partnership records | Highest partnerships by wicket. ESPNcricinfo
On 31 December 2007, he scored 50 from just 19 balls against Bangladesh. He finished his innings with 80 runs from only 28 balls, including 9 fours and 6 sixes with a strike rate of 285.71.
Record breaking
On 1 July 2008, McCullum scored his maiden ODI century, a 135-ball 166, against Ireland in the Associates Tri-Series in Scotland. His century, along with James Marshall's 161, (his maiden ODI century in his last appearance, in which he shared in a 266 opening stand with McCullum which is the highest ODI partnership for any wicket in Black Caps history and the second highest opening partnership in all ODIs.) and Ross Taylor's 59, elevated New Zealand to 402, the highest and their only 400+ score for their team until date, and they won by 290 runs, setting a world record for the biggest margin of victory by runs, a record that stood until 2023.
On 6 November 2009, against Pakistan at Abu Dhabi, McCullum scored his second ODI century of 131 to elevate New Zealand to 303 and win the match to level the series.2nd ODI: New Zealand v Pakistan at Abu Dhabi, 6 Nov 2009 | Cricket Scorecard . ESPNcricinfo (6 November 2009). Retrieved on 27 May 2018. On 16 February 2010, during the only Test match against Bangladesh, he scored 185, which is the highest score ever by a New Zealand wicket-keeper in Test cricket. He was also involved in the record highest sixth-wicket partnership for New Zealand of 339 runs with Martin Guptill, missing out on the world record by just 12 runs.
On 27 February 2010, McCullum became the second player to score a T20I hundred, finishing 116 not out, one run short of Chris Gayle's record of 117. On 4 May 2010 McCullum became the first player to score 1,000 T20 international runs. He achieved this feat playing against Zimbabwe in the 2010 ICC World Twenty20 at Guyana.
On 28 June 2010, McCullum announced that he would not keep wicket for New Zealand in Test matches. He, however, informed that he will still keep in 50-overs & T20 over games.McCullum decides to quit keeping in tests, published 28 June 2009 He did a fine job in his first innings since handing over the wicketkeeping duties he scored 65 runs and was engaged in a 104 run partnership with Ross Taylor he was promoted to the position of opener in tests rather than his usual number 5 position. McCullum did however have experience of opening the innings because he opens for New Zealand in limited-overs cricket.India v New Zealand: We showed strength of character – McCullum | Cricket News | India v New Zealand . ESPNcricinfo(6 November 2010). Retrieved on 27 May 2018.
On 21 September 2012 at the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 tournament in Sri Lanka, McCullum scored 123 runs against Bangladesh at Pallekele, setting a new record for the highest Twenty20 International innings, and becoming the first player to score two Twenty20 International centuries. This record was broken by Aaron Finch against England, when he scored 156. However, McCullum is one of the two players to have scored two Twenty20 International centuries along with West Indian Chris Gayle.
He was awarded the T20 Player of the Year by NZC for the 2012–13 season.
Captaincy
In 2014 at the Basin Reserve in Wellington, McCullum scored 302 runs in the third innings of the second test against India, becoming the first New Zealand batsman to score a triple-century. He shared a 352 run partnership with BJ Watling, then a record sixth wicket stand, rescuing New Zealand from a likely innings defeat. McCullum closed the innings at 680/8d, both the highest ever innings by New Zealand, and the highest ever third innings in Test cricket history.
On 21 November 2014, McCullum took his first-ever wicket at test level, a caught-and-bowled of Pakistan's Sarfraz Ahmed during their second test. On 29 November 2014, McCullum scored a century on day 2 of the third test against the same opposition, in which both teams decided to call off play on the day before as a tribute to Phillip Hughes, and hand-written P.H. under each player's squad number as a further mark of respect. He was bowled out on 202 after hitting eleven sixes in his innings, by far a record for New Zealand opening batsman.Brendon McCullum 202 vs. Pakistan (Sharjah 2014) . YouTube.com. Retrieved on 27 May 2018. Two years after his debut as NZ captain, in which the team was bowled out for a paltry 45, Black Caps returned to respectability.
On 13 December 2014, McCullum was named New Zealander of the Year by the New Zealand Herald beating out stiff competition from Lane Pilkington due to his continued co-operation with ICC over the match-fixing scandal which resulted in Chris Cairns being charged for lying to court, and also for changing the perception of the Black Caps as easy-beats.Cleaver, Dylan (13 December 2014) 2014 New Zealander of the Year: Brendon McCullum New Zealand's remarkable consistency under McCullum . Cricket.geek.nz (27 December 2014). Retrieved on 27 May 2018.