MACATTACK Brilliant, brutal McCullum slays Sri Lanka

IT WAS a Brendon McCullum masterclass. The New Zealand skipper put a dramatic exclamation point on his terrific 2014.

McCullum scored 195 yesterday, marking Hagley Oval’s first day of test cricket as an occasion every single member of the 7698 sellout crowd will remember.

It was the Brendon McCullum show but his supporting cast chipped in as the Black Caps dominated day one to reach stumps at 429-7 in only 80.3 overs.

McCullum has easily been New Zealand’s test player of 2014, especially at home where, in his last three tests, he’s scored 195, 302 and 224.

He yesterday became the first Kiwi to pass 1000 test runs in a calendar year, breezing past that mark with the first of his recordequalling 11 sixes.

He bettered his own record for New Zealand’s fastest test hundred with a 74-ball ton, beating his previous mark – scored in his last test innings, in Sharjah – by four balls.

‘‘I don’t think I’ve got enough superlatives to describe that innings today,’’ New Zealand batting coach Craig McMillan said.

‘‘I thought it would be hard to beat what he did in Sharjah which was a pretty special innings as well.’’

McCullum hit 18 fours and his whirlwind walloping of Sri Lanka lasted only 134 balls. He was caught at long-off, but had his miscue got over the ropes, like a couple of others did, he would have beaten Nathan Astle’s record for the fastest double hundred of 153 balls, by 19 balls. He took 26 runs off one Suranga Lakmal over – a New Zealand record he now shares with McMillan.

He was simply brutal and gave the Sri Lankan bowlers a shellacking. McMillan was in awe. ‘‘The man is an x-factor player, he has the ability to dominate . . . dismantle bowlers very quickly and change the tempo,’’ he said.

‘‘He’s so destructive. I think he’s the most destructive and domineering player to play for New Zealand.’’

And all this after New Zealand lost the toss and were inserted on a green-top.

McCullum has always been a live-by-the-sword, die-by-the-sword type of player and has in the past been lambasted for it.

Yesterday, and throughout 2014, he was celebrated for it.

McMillan said the captaincy had to be a factor. This is McCullum’s 21st test in charge since taking over from Ross Taylor and since that controversial switch, he’s averaged 51.47 and scored five hundreds. In 70 tests when he wasn’t captain he scored six hundreds and averaged 35.63.

‘‘There’s a time in your career when everything clicks and comes into place. I think the last 12-14 months that’s perhaps where Brendon is in his career,’’ McMillan said.

Despite the day one run-fest, New Zealand feel confident there is plenty left in the wicket.

Sri Lankan captain Angelo Mathews showed with his lastover dismissal of BJ Watling (which replays showed wasn’t out), the ball would still move.

McMillan said the New Zealand bowlers were looking forward to bowling on the still-green Hagley surface while the Sri Lankans were viewing it as a road.

Visiting batsman Niroshan Dickwella said McCullum showed the pitch was flat and his side took confidence out of the fact batting positive worked for McCullum.

Jimmy Neesham batted his way out of a funk, scoring an 80-ball 85 and sharing in a record 153-run fifth wicket stand with the skipper while Kane Williamson scored 54 and shared in a 126-run stand with McCullum, though Williamson only contributed 20 to their stand as the captain let loose.