Brendon McCullum to make sidelines in the third T20 against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 - NZC
Having missed the opening two T20 internationals of the three-match series against Pakistan, the New Zealand wicketkeeper batsman Brendon McCullum will make the sidelines in the inconsequential third and final match on Thursday as well.
This was revealed by the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754 Cricket on Wednesday as the Kiwis are planning to hand Pakistan a 3-0 whitewash in the series.
Since New Zealand have already secured the series win after winning both the T20 games in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Auckland-c766 and Hamilton, the New Zealand selectors decided to rest McCullum in the Christchurch match to ensure a completely fit McCullum ahead of the
two-match Test series against Pakistan which gets underway on 7thJanuary 2011 followed by one-day series comprising six fixtures against the same opposition.
Glenn Turner, member of the selection panel headed by Mark Greatbatch, revealed in a statement that the injured batsman had gone through a fitness Test successfully and showed satisfaction over the progress he had made. Turner further added
that the 29-year-old http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Otago-c829 batsman was rested from the last T20 international to ensure a fit McCullum to shoulder the heavy workload in the Test and one-day series.
"Although the signs are good, the selection panel think the sensible approach is to rest Brendon for the final Twenty20 international against Pakistan,” said the New Zealand selector. "This is in view of the heavy workload Brendon will shoulder
in the upcoming Test and (ODI) series. We believe the extra rest will be of benefit in the longer term," he added further.
Both McCullum and the regular captain of New Zealand Daniel Vettori are nursing back injuries which they had picked during the devastating tour of India. However, the series saw Kiwis returning home winless, as Vettori’s men lost both the
Test and one-day series by 0-1 and 0-5.
With a tally of 370 runs at an average of 74 in six innings, McCullum was the leading run scorer in the Test series against India last month. He also compiled his Test highest, 225, during the same tour in the drawn second innings of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Hyderabad-c792
Test.
The home-series against Pakistan is New Zealand’s final assignment against any international side ahead of the ICC World Cup 2011, which gets underway in the subcontinent on 19th of February, 2011. And hence a final chance for
the Kiwis to regain some of the lost pride and build up confidence after mauling at the hands of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 and the Bengali tigers.
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