Brendon McCullum Admits He Had A Feeling That New Zealand Will Get Close But Won’t Get Across The Line In The WTC Final

Former New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum has revealed that he was afraid that the BlackCaps will once again fall short in the marquee final during the summit clash of the ICC World Test Championship against India.

The New Zealand Cricket Team has endured several heartbreaks in ICC events in the past few years. Back in 2015, they faltered against Australia in the World Cup final at the MCG under the leadership of McCullum.

Then in 2019, they ended up on the losing note in the World Cup final at Lord’s against England without actually losing the game.

But, this time, there were no heartbreaks as the Kane Williamson-led unit defeated India by eight wickets on the reserve day to end their ICC title drought, 21 years after they won their first title, also against India, under the leadership of Stephen Fleming.

“They’ve been on a pretty amazing journey for the last few years and they’ve been so close to tasting the ultimate success,” McCullum told ‘SEN Radio’. “To do it in the purist form of the game is just something quite magnificent. I’m not sure it’s really sunk in just yet, to be honest.”Overnight the game was on a bit of a knife’s edge, but it almost had the feeling of the previous two World Cups that we’ll get close but we won’t quite get across the line,” he added.

“For them to be able to manufacture a result against the weather and a very formidable Indian side and to be able to do it on the biggest stage as well, is quite superb,” he added.

And for Brendon McCullum, under whom the revival of the New Zealand Test team started way back in 2014, the fact that the Kiwis won an elusive title in the longest format of the game and against a powerhouse team like India, is as good as it can get.

“I’m sure in the coming days and weeks, and even years, we’ll look back on this moment and just be so proud of what Kane’s men have been able to achieve and the heights they’ve been able to scale,” he said.

“For a country with pretty limited resources, it is pretty amazing, and to have done it against the powerhouse of world cricket on the biggest stage is something that makes it even more satisfying,” he added.

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