Cricket: McCullum bat may get priority over gloves

Brendon McCullum's days as New Zealand limited-overs wicketkeeper are numbered.

Auckland wicketkeeper Gareth Hopkins has done the glovework in the two Twenty20 internationals and three of the four ODIs against Australia in the last fortnight going into today's game.

There has been speculation a dicky back has played a part in that selection choice. Hopkins was hurried from a Plunket Shield game in Dunedin back to Auckland for last weekend's second ODI to relieve McCullum.

However, the Otago player confirmed yesterday his mind is turning towards becoming a specialist batsman in the shorter forms of the game.

There is no set timeframe for McCullum, 28, to make the move, although he admitted it is likely to be sooner than may have been the case a year ago.

"My motivation is to become a better batsman, to score runs which win us games and I want to churn all my energy into that," he told the Weekend Herald yesterday.

"I genuinely believe this is my best chance to win games consistently for us and to achieve something special while I'm playing."

McCullum does not believe it is feasible to keep opening the batting and keeping wicket and performing to his optimum in both roles.

And hanging on to the gloves just for the sake of it is not how he wants to be remembered.

From time to time, McCullum has had injury issues, usually related to his back. But that is not a big factor in his thinking on a change of cricket tack.

"The injury side of things is manageable. But it does diminish the energy I could give to my batting.

"I'm seeking world-class consistency, and I know if there's a criticism of my batting it's that it can be great one day, but can be inconsistent."

As a wicketkeeper-opener, McCullum, in 51 ODIs has hit 1456 runs at 31.65, with one century. Opening, but not wicketkeeping, in 16 games, he has made 613 runs at 43.78 with one hundred.

It's not as if he has lost the buzz that goes with keeping; just that he sees a better way to use his abilities for New Zealand.

"I do enjoy the keeping but even when I get out cheaply I can't wait for the next bat," he said. "I've always been like that, but I also felt that way about my keeping."

McCullum will keep in the two tests against Australia, starting next Friday, but won't do the job at the world Twenty20 in the Caribbean starting on April 30.

Expect the busy Hopkins to get that job. His batting has been sparky against the Aussies, but some of his glovework has been ordinary.