On the face of things, one might feel that the organisers of the World Twenty20 made a surprising choice when they scheduled New Zealand v Sri Lanka as the first match today.
But when you look closer, Sri Lanka can boast some of the world's most exciting talents (Tillekeratne Dilshan, Lasith Malinga) while New Zealand may claim to the leading batsman and bowler in Twenty20 internationals.
Daniel Vettori’s economy rate of 5.42 makes him the hardest bowler in the world to get away, while Brendon McCullum is miles clear of the opposition in the run-charts, almost 30 per cent ahead of Kevin Pietersen in second place.
“I’ve developed quite a passion for Twenty20,” McCullum told Telegraph Sport. “The game certainly suits my style of play. Maybe people inside the UK might think that it’s a lottery, but there’s more to it than that. I guess there’s a little bit of luck involved, and maybe a little bit of skill.”
McCullum shares the record for the fastest international Twenty20 hundred with Chris Gayle (both men reached the landmark off just 50 balls). But the innings he will always be remembered for is his extraordinary 158 not out in the very first Indian Premier League match two years ago.
That knock must have put millions on the market value of the IPL, but it also proved to be something of an albatross for McCullum himself.
“It was one of those nights when all the stars align, and you end up feeling completely satisfied,” he says now. “The trouble was that for the next couple of years I found myself trying to play a similar innings every time I went out to bat, and that can certainly have its inconsistencies.
“If you’re immature as a cricketer and you put yourself in a position where you do something special it’s very tough to back that up. Maybe it’s best not to set out looking to hit 20 boundaries in every innings. The innings I played against Australia the other day [of 116 not out] was just as good if not better.”
With McCullum on one team this afternoon and Dilshan on the other, we will see the world’s two finest exponents of the scoop-over-the-keeper shot. McCullum plays it so well that he is entitled to feel aggrieved about its new nickname, “The Dilscoop”. But the shot he really envies is one played played by an England batsman.
“The craziest shot I ever saw was actually in a one-day game, rather than a Twenty20," he says. "Kevin Pietersen lined up a switch-hit off Scotty Styris. That was phenomenal. I have been practising my scoop shot but the switch-hit is one I simply cannot play.”
But when you look closer, Sri Lanka can boast some of the world's most exciting talents (Tillekeratne Dilshan, Lasith Malinga) while New Zealand may claim to the leading batsman and bowler in Twenty20 internationals.
Daniel Vettori’s economy rate of 5.42 makes him the hardest bowler in the world to get away, while Brendon McCullum is miles clear of the opposition in the run-charts, almost 30 per cent ahead of Kevin Pietersen in second place.
“I’ve developed quite a passion for Twenty20,” McCullum told Telegraph Sport. “The game certainly suits my style of play. Maybe people inside the UK might think that it’s a lottery, but there’s more to it than that. I guess there’s a little bit of luck involved, and maybe a little bit of skill.”
McCullum shares the record for the fastest international Twenty20 hundred with Chris Gayle (both men reached the landmark off just 50 balls). But the innings he will always be remembered for is his extraordinary 158 not out in the very first Indian Premier League match two years ago.
That knock must have put millions on the market value of the IPL, but it also proved to be something of an albatross for McCullum himself.
“It was one of those nights when all the stars align, and you end up feeling completely satisfied,” he says now. “The trouble was that for the next couple of years I found myself trying to play a similar innings every time I went out to bat, and that can certainly have its inconsistencies.
“If you’re immature as a cricketer and you put yourself in a position where you do something special it’s very tough to back that up. Maybe it’s best not to set out looking to hit 20 boundaries in every innings. The innings I played against Australia the other day [of 116 not out] was just as good if not better.”
With McCullum on one team this afternoon and Dilshan on the other, we will see the world’s two finest exponents of the scoop-over-the-keeper shot. McCullum plays it so well that he is entitled to feel aggrieved about its new nickname, “The Dilscoop”. But the shot he really envies is one played played by an England batsman.
“The craziest shot I ever saw was actually in a one-day game, rather than a Twenty20," he says. "Kevin Pietersen lined up a switch-hit off Scotty Styris. That was phenomenal. I have been practising my scoop shot but the switch-hit is one I simply cannot play.”
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