Brendon McCullum gives up gloves in Test cricket by CricketArchive Staff Reporter

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Player:

BB McCullum

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DateLine: 27th June 2010

 

Brendon McCullum has decided to quit wicketkeeping at Test level to prolong his career. The right-handed batsman is however keen to continue keeping in shorter forms of the game.

 

McCullum, who has played in 52 Tests since making his debut in 2004, still wants to play Test cricket, but will now seek selection as a specialist batsman.

 

Explaining his decision, the 28-year-old said: "I have talked to a lot of people about how they went about extending their international careers, including some prominent former and current wicketkeepers. I am passionate about playing for the Black Caps and by limiting my keeping to the shorter forms of the game it increases my chances of prolonging my career."

 

Geoff Allott, the general manager of cricket for New Zealand Cricket, said McCullum's glovework would be a loss to the Test side, but accepted players are having to find ways to manage their body under gruelling schedules.

 

"Brendon enjoys the challenge of Test cricket and has been a strong performer for New Zealand as keeper over a significant period of time," Allott said.

(Article: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author only.
Copyright © 2010 Abdul Kadir Hussain email:abdul.hussain@csfb.com)