Cricket: Heat confident McCullum will front after NZ farewell

Test cricket remains Brendon McCullum's focus for now. Photo / Getty Images

Australian crowds have not seen the last of New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum despite his Big Bash League withdrawal, with the expectation being that he'll announce his international retirement early next year.

Not even Heat coach and ex-teammate Daniel Vettori could stop McCullum from breaking Brisbane hearts and pulling out of this season's BBL due to international duty.

But there are no fears McCullum will renege on the remaining two seasons of his Heat deal, with speculation rife the big hitting batsman is set to walk away from international cricket after March's Twenty20 World Cup. That will give McCullum one last chance to avenge the Black Caps' 2-0 series loss to Australia in the return two-test leg in New Zealand in February.

McCullum has been replaced by West Indian Lendl Simmons in the Heat line-up for the upcoming BBL.

The 34-year-old McCullum has not played down international retirement talk this year. He touched on it after New Zealand levelled their two-test series in England in June.

Their first test win in England since 1999 ensured they notched a national record seven straight unbeaten series. That same month, he signed the three-season Heat deal, further adding to the speculation.

And he would not rule it out after their record streak was snapped by their recent 2-0 series loss in Australia.

"We've achieved some really special things and built a real soul about how we want to play the game," McCullum said. "The body's a bit sore at the moment but we'll see what happens."

Heat's test opener Joe Burns admitted McCullum's withdrawal was a "big blow" to their upcoming campaign but reckoned it may work in their favour.

"He is a world-class player but I think Lendl Simmons is world class as well," he said. "To some extent, he [Simmons] will fly under the radar a bit compared to the other overseas openers going around. That will be a great advantage for us. If he goes well, it will go a long way towards us winning the competition."

Simmons was second highest run scorer in this year's Indian Premier League behind David Warner, helping the Mumbai Indians claim the IPL T20 title.

A member of the Windies' 2012 T20 World Cup winning side, Simmons will be available for all Brisbane's BBL games this season.

Simmons will be another Windies gun to line up in the BBL along with the likes of Dwayne Bravo, Darren Sammy and Chris Gayle, while the lowly ranked tourists battle world No 2 Australia in a three-test series starting on December 10.

- AAP