Cricket: Opener won't be keeping for T20

Brendon McCullum. Photo / Herald on Sunday.

Brendon McCullum won't be keeping wicket for New Zealand against Pakistan on Boxing Day.

That seems certain after a day of confusion revolving around New Zealand's explosive opening batsman ahead of the start of the three-game T20 series against the Pakistanis.

This much is known: on Wednesday the new national selection panel of Mark Greatbatch, Glenn Turner and Lance Cairns left McCullum out of an initial 13-man squad for the series.

Then it was enlarged by one, and McCullum was back in, after a phone call from New Zealand Cricket chief executive Justin Vaughan to the panel. That had been prompted by a call from McCullum's agent, former test captain Stephen Fleming.

McCullum, who hurt his back in India on November 20, withdrew from the Otago side for the rest of the HRV Cup last week.

It appears the selectors' information was that he might not be fit for the Pakistan T20 games. Phones then started ringing. Vaughan was "made aware" that McCullum's fitness status had "not been properly evaluated".

So Vaughan, who oversees the selection process, discussed that with the selectors and McCullum was assessed yesterday.

"All I did was queried whether Brendon had had a formal evaluation," Vaughan said.

McCullum's injury is particularly vulnerable to the movements involved with wicketkeeping, less so for batting and fielding.

So Northern Districts' recalled Peter McGlashan is expected to be keeping on Sunday.

The issue with McCullum is not just whether he passes a test, but how he pulls up the next day and judgment calls on whether there is a risk of further damage. Vaughan is adamant NZC wants McCullum playing.

"You can't wrap him in cotton wool," he said yesterday.

"We want him playing cricket and it's not so easy just to roll him out for the important games, whatever they may be."

Vaughan strongly denied one widely aired suggestion yesterday that part of the conversation with Fleming involved the importance of McCullum playing with an eye on the Indian Premier League auction due in Bangalore on January 8-9.

As for Boxing Day, Vaughan said "our best possible outcome is that he is available as a batsman".

"If Brendon gets cleared then it goes back to the selection panel. If he's not cleared then he's not playing."