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Brendon McCullum is acknowledged as New Zealand’s milestone man. His exploits with the bat, as well as his captaincy skills, have transformed New Zealand from table laggards to being one of the most exciting teams in the game. (Brendon McCullum Aims to Bid Adieu With Test Series Win Over Australia)
The hosts, fresh from their 2-1 ODI series win over Australia which saw them retain the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy, will be aiming to break a 30-year jinx by aiming for a Test series win over their Trans-Tasman rivals. With the first Test scheduled to begin at the Basin Reserve in Wellington on Friday, McCullum is on the cusp of some records.
– McCullum will play his 100th Test when he steps out on to the Basin Reserve. This will make him the first player in Test history to play 100 consecutive Test matches.
– He will become only the third New Zealand player to feature in 100 Tests. Daniel Vettori has played the most with 112 while former captain Stephen Fleming played 111 Tests.
– McCullum needs only one more six to become the highest six-hitter in Test history. Currently, he is level with Adam Gilchrist who also smashed 100 sixes in 96 Tests. McCullum reached the landmark during the first Test against Sri Lanka at the University Oval in Dunedin in December 2015.
– The New Zealand skipper needs 113 runs to go past Martin Crowe and become the leading run-scorer at the Basin Reserve. He has 1011 runs in 16 Tests at an average of 38.88 while Crowe has 1123 runs at an average of 70. Incidentally, McCullum is the only New Zealand player to hit a triple century in Tests and he achieved it at this venue by smashing 302 against India.
– McCullum will also have happy memories at Wellington against Australia. His only century against them came in 2010 when he smashed 104 in a losing cause. Overall, his average against Australia is only 26.16.
– No New Zealand player has ever achieved a century on his 100th Test. McCullum will be aiming to reach this milestone. So far, only seven players in Test history have scored a hundred in their 100th Test, with Ricky Ponting being the only one to score centuries in both innings.
Source: NDTV