Brash, brutal and brilliant to watch, Brendon McCullum can bruise bowling attacks like few other men in international cricket. A wicketkeeper-batsman, McCullum has been used throughout the New Zealand batting order, but whenever he arrives at the crease it's impossible to look away. He muscles balls over both sides of the field and was responsible for getting the IPL off to an electrifying start, lighting up the tournament's first match with 158 and showing what the format had to offer. And he reprised that style in Tests too - striking the fastest century in the format's history in his final match.

He also became the second man, after Chris Gayle, to score a Twenty20 international century when he brazenly scooped 155kph offerings from Shaun Tait and Dirk Nannes over the wicketkeeper's head in Christchurch in 2009-10. McCullum describes himself as "brash" and that innings was the proof, but he has also been a key part of New Zealand's Test team since 2004. In the longer format he began his career at No. 7 and in his second series, entertained the crowd with 96 at Lord's.

He notched up five of his first six Test centuries in that position, but later in his career he also showed he had another gear and could bat according to the needs of the team: against India in Wellington in 2014, he compiled a monumental 302 in 775 minutes, the eighth-longest innings at the time in terms of minutes. It saved New Zealand the Test from a hopeless position, and McCullum became the first New Zealand batsman to score a triple-hundred.

Although Adam Parore's Test mark of 201 dismissals was within his reach, McCullum shunned the wicketkeeper's gloves when he took over as captain in all formats at the end of 2012. His succession was anything but smooth, with Ross Taylor opting out of New Zealand's subsequent tour of South Africa after being replaced in controversial circumstances. However, McCullum slowly moulded New Zealand into a terrific - and hugely popular - team in all formats, not only in terms of their results but also in the manner in which they played the game: attacking with both bat and ball, but without any of the sledging and needless aggression that is often a part of other teams. Under him, New Zealand reached the World Cup final for the first time, in 2015, and went 13 consecutive home Tests without a defeat.

At the end of 2015, McCullum announced that the home Test series against Australia would be his last international fixtures. He became the first player to play 100 consecutive Tests from his debut.
Brydon Coverdale and ESPNcricinfo staff

• January 17, 2002
  Deceptive debut
  • Brendon McCcullum makes his ODI debut against Australia at the SCG and scores 5.
    
• December 29, 2002
  Five-for behind the stumps
  • McCullum takes four catches and effects a stumping against India in Napier, his five dismissals in an innings equal Adam Parore's New Zealand record. He's had five dismissals in an innings three times since.
    
• November 3, 2003
  A fifty at last
  • Scores maiden ODI half-century in his 29th game - 51 not out against Australia in Pune.
    
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• March 2004
  An instant success
  • Scores 57 on Test debut against South Africa in Hamilton.
    
• October 2004
  A maiden century
  • Scores first Test century in his seventh Test, 143 against Bangladesh in Dhaka.
    
• December 2005
  A world record falls
  • McCullum smashes 50 off 25 balls to help New Zealand pull off a world record chase against Australia in Christchurch.
    
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• February 2007
  This time a partnership record
  • Scores 86 off 91 balls to lead New Zealand to the second-highest run-chase in ODI history, against Australia in Hamilton. Shares a world-record partnership of 165 with Craig McMillan for the sixth wicket.
    
• March 2007
  Minnows suffer
  • Blasts 50 off 20 balls against Canada in St. Lucia, it's the fastest half-century in a World Cup.
    
• March 2007
  The best catcher
  • Takes four catches against West Indies in Antigua to overtake Adam Parore's New Zealand record of 136 dismissals in ODIs.
    
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• February 2008
  Leading for the first time
  • Leads New Zealand in a Twenty20 international against England in Auckland- McCullum's first captaincy assignment.
    
• February 2008
  IPL moolah beckons
  • Gets bought for $700,000 by Kolkata Knight Riders in the inaugural IPL auction.
    
• April 2008
  Worth the money
  • Blazes 158 off 73 balls for Kolkata against Bangalore in the opening game of the IPL. It's the highest score in Twenty20 cricket.
    
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• July 2008
  A long-awaited century
  • Scores maiden ODI century in his 134th match, smashing Ireland for 166 off 135 deliveries in Aberdeen. His 266-run stand with Hamish Marshall is a record for New Zealand.
    
• March 2009
  Leading from the front
  • Captains New Zealand for the first time in an ODI against India in Christchurch, scores 71 off 68 balls.
    
• November 2009
  A tougher hundred
  • Scores first ODI century against a top-class team, in his 162nd match. - 131 versus Pakistan in Abu Dhabi .
    
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• December 2009
  Another New Zealand record
  • Breaks the New Zealand record for most dismissals in a Test by participating in nine against Pakistan in Napier.
    
• February 2010
  Following in Gayle's footsteps
  • Slams an unbeaten 116 off 56 balls against Australia in Christchurch to become the second player, after Chris Gayle, to score a century in T20 internationals; Gayle had made 117 off 57.
    
• November 2010
  The first double
  • Opening the batting for only the fifth time in his Test career, McCullum scores 225 in New Zealand's second innings against India in Hyderabad. It's his first double-century in Tests, and the second-highest score by a New Zealander in India, next to Bert Sutcliffe's 230* in Delhi in 1955.
    
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• September 2012
  Another T20I hundred
  • Becomes the first batsman to score two centuries in T20Is, smashing 123 off 58 balls in a World Twenty20 game against Bangladesh in Pallekele.
    
• December 2012
  Captaincy beckons
  • Becomes New Zealand's leader in all three formats, taking over from Ross Taylor. The transition is mired in controversy, though, with Taylor dropping out of the subsequent tour to South Africa.
    
• January 2013
  A shocker in Cape Town
  • In the first innings of his first Test as captain, New Zealand are shot out for 45, their third-lowest total in Tests. They lose both Tests of that series by an innings.
    
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• December 2013
  A Test win at last
  • In his 11th Test as captain - and after being denied a win by an incredible double-hundred by Darren Bravo in the previous game - New Zealand finally win a Test, beating West Indies by an innings and 73 runs in Wellington. They would go on to win 11 out of 19 Tests from here till the end of 2015.
    
• February 2014
  Making India suffer
  • Twice in ten days McCullum makes 200-plus scores in Tests against India: 224 in Auckland, and then a monumental 775-minute 302 in Wellington, which saves New Zealand the Test from a hopeless position. His three 200-plus Test scores so far have all come against India, and his 302 is the highest Test score by a New Zealand batsman.
    
• November 2014
  Another double-hundred
  • Scores 202 against Pakistan in Sharjah to become the first New Zealander to score four double-centuries in Tests. Almost gets another one in his next Test innings, making 195 off just 134 balls against Sri Lanka in Christchurch.
    
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• March 2015
  A spectacular World Cup
  • Leads New Zealand all the way to their first World Cup final, but Australia prove to be too strong in the title match in Melbourne. It is an outstanding campaign nevertheless, characterised by aggressive and imaginative leadership, and thrilling wins against Australia in a group game and in the semi-finals, against South Africa. McCullum scores 328 runs in the tournament at a strike rate of 188.50.
    
• December 2015
  Announces retirement
  • Decides that the two-Test home series against Australia will be his last international fixtures. The first Test of that series, in Wellington, will be his 100th, making him the first player to play 100 consecutive Tests from debut.
    
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