Cricket: McCullum ready to fire

Two snapshots of Brendon McCullum taken early last month and now would reveal significantly different players.

The first, taken round the halfway stage of the Indian Premier League, would have shown a player battling on two fronts: struggling for runs for his Kolkata Knight Riders franchise, and trying to captain a team dreadfully out of sorts and bottom of the league.

In his words, "I was starting to chew myself up.

"I wasn't scoring too many runs and also with the captaincy and our team struggling, I realised what my niche was in the environment," he told the Weekend Herald.

"I realised what I could and couldn't control and just let go and really enjoyed my last seven games over there."

Kolkata were coached by former Australian coach John Buchanan, who began by talking of having four captains on the field.

Then Buchanan had difficulties with Sourav Ganguly, an Indian icon and renowned for being "difficult". It seemed to spiral from there.

That said, McCullum reckons he "learned a hell of a lot".

Using the old line that "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger", McCullum put it down to another experience to file away for future reference.

"I came out with a lot more knowledge, not only about cricket but about how I react under pressure, and my ability to influence other people and get them all heading towards a common cause.

"It didn't always work, but it was an amazing time. I'm in this game to try and experience all I can. You try and taste as much success (as you can) and the failure's not bad either. It was tough, but I'll be a far better cricketer for having had to go through it."

McCullum is refreshed by several days with his New Zealand teammates in England, preparing for the world Twenty20 championship, which starts for them against Scotland at The Oval tonight (NZT).

Upbeat as ever, he insists New Zealand are right in the frame with a winning chance. He puts Australia, South Africa, Sri Lanka and India in the same boat.

Even the final-over loss to Australia this week had an upside in his book. New Zealand were 21 for five and seemed to be toast, before Peter McGlashan and Scott Styris pulled things round to push the total to 147, giving them something to work with.

McCullum shares his captain Dan Vettori's view that the top four batsmen have a decisive role to play. McCullum, Jesse Ryder, Martin Guptill and Ross Taylor have the talent to take hold of a match.

Knowing they have decent batting depth to follow enables that quartet to play with freedom and back themselves, McCullum argued.

"All you've got to worry about is watching the ball and reacting to it, rather than have preconceived ideas about taking your time because you don't have the strength coming in behind you.

"You keep things pretty simple, react to what you see and let the natural aggression take over. That's a pretty good space to be in when you're walking out."

New Zealand's selection seems reasonably straightforward for a game in which a win will secure a place in the Super 8 round.

New ball bowler Kyle Mills is battling a back strain and won't play. Lower order batsman Neil Broom and allrounder Brendon Diamanti look like sitting it out and the final spot might come down to a choice of wicketkeeper McGlashan or offspinner Nathan McCullum.

New Zealand coach Andy Moles used to coach Scotland, so there is some background knowledge to call on. The Scots seem to be permanently gripped by internal strife. Leading bowler John Blain walked out of the squad this week after a spectacular bust-up with captain Gavin Hamilton.

Still, they gave England a reasonable run in a warmup this week and New Zealand will be determined to avoid planting their foot on a tournament banana skin.

"We have high expectations of ourselves. While we may fly under the radar in terms of world cricket, the people who care about New Zealand cricket have high expectations," Vettori said.

NZ v SCOTLAND

* The Oval, from 9pm today, live on SS1
* New Zealand squad: Dan Vettori (c), Brendon McCullum, Jesse Ryder, Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, Scott Styris, Jacob Oram, Neil Broom, James Franklin, Peter McGlashan, Nathan McCullum, Brendon Diamanti, Ian Butler, Iain O'Brien, Kyle Mills.