Captain Brendon McCullum has agreed a new one-year deal with New Zealand Cricket, quelling rumours of retirement and ensuring he will lead the Black Caps in home and away test series against Australia next summer.
McCullum will sit out New Zealand’s coming tours to Zimbabwe and South Africa to recover from an intense workload around this year’s Cricket World Cup.
The 33-year-old will now be available for the highly-anticipated series against Australia and the World Twenty20 tournament in India in March.
McCullum has played 94 tests and is on track to become the first player to play in 100 consecutive tests, though South Africa’s A.B. de Villiers, who has played 98, could precede him to that record. De Villiers is currently on paternity leave.
Speculation over McCullum’s future in one-day internationals increased after New Zealand’s recent series against England when the New Zealand captain said he would “let the dust settle” before deciding his future.
“It’s a critical time for the side,” he said. “We’ve enjoyed a pretty good past 18 months, but there are some serious challenges ahead and we need to keep making progress.
“This is a young, emerging team with some very big series looming on the horizon and it’s really exciting to be involved.”
McCullum has also signed a three-year with the Brisbane Heat in Australia’s Big Bash League.
