‘ McCullum has set high standards in captaincy’

Mumbai, May 5: Praising Brendon McCullum for his aggressive style of leadership, Kiwi pacer Tim Southee feels that the New Zealand captain has set a new benchmark in world cricket for others to follow.

“He’s changed the game and other teams are trying to be as attacking as Brendon has been. He’s, sort of, set a standard as captain to follow. Others are trying to emulate what Brendon is doing, his aggressive mindset,” the 26- year- old pacer said.

Southee, who grabbed 15 wickets from 9 matches in the World Cup in which his country finished runners- up to tourna- ment co- hosts Australia, credited McCullum for taking Kiwi cricket to greater heights.

“Probably the reason why New Zealand cricket is where it’s today is through his captaincy, his aggressive nature and the way he manages players. His man management is outstanding. The attacking mindset that he brings in is probably the reason why we are where we are today,” said Southee.

On the contribution of Shane Bond, who was New Zealand’s bowling coach till the conclusion of the World Cup, Southee said the younger fast bowler’s in the team were fortunate to be guided by the one- time world’s fastest bowler. Saying he was enjoying his stint with the Royals in IPL, Southee said, “It’s a great environment with freedom to perform and express ourselves.”

He was also complimentary about Shane Watson as the Royals’ captain and Rahul Dravid as the team’s mentor.

“It’s great to come over and play with the likes of Watson, Steve Smith and to talk to someone like Dravid who is one of the greats of the game.”