Cricket: McCullum thriving with bat under heat

The pressure valve has been released on rejuvenated New Zealand cricketer Brendon McCullum, who confessed to feeling the heat "from all angles" before the series against Pakistan.

Wicketkeeper/opener McCullum was the deserved man of the one-day series in Abu Dhabi, starring with game-high scores in New Zealand's two wins.

His run-a-ball 131 in the second match was McCullum at his best, an innings comprising fluent shot-making, sharp running and, when needed, improvisation to unleash the shackles.

He followed it with 76 off 78 balls in yesterday's low-scoring series-clincher, giving him 227 runs for the series and defying critics who have grown impatient at McCullum's lack of consistent runs at the top.

The call had grown louder for a return to the middle-order, something that hasn't escaped the 28-year-old.

"I don't usually take notice of external factors but coming over here I felt I was under pressure from all angles," McCullum said. "For the first time in a long time I feel I've been able to contribute and play an influential role in games.

"I haven't been as productive as I've wanted over the last year and I've gone back to batting in a similar way that was successful a couple of years ago."

The solution? Keeping things simple.

McCullum admitted he had been over-complicating matters at the crease and had appreciated the supportive words of teammates and coaching staff as he sought a return to form, remaining adamant that opener is his best position.

"It was a mental adjustment for me. I was getting a little bit low on confidence after missing out on some big scores over the last little while.

"Obviously, the second game was fantastic, it was just a matter of trying to get a start again and get a bit aggressive."

McCullum's form ignited the New Zealand team, who suffered a forgettable 138-run loss in the first game.

' "Going down in that first game, the boys were pretty hungry to bounce back and I thought we did that incredibly well in both games."

Having passed 50 just twice in his previous 24 innings before leaving for the United Arab Emirates, McCullum was now determined to maintain the rage in the two Twenty20 matches tomorrow and Saturday.

"We pride ourselves on our shorter version of the game.

"We've done well in this series and it's another opportunity to perform well away from home."

- NZPA