New Zealand brought a gun but didn’t fire any bullets in final: Brendon McCullum

New Zealand brought a gun but didn’t fire any bullets in final: Brendon McCullum

Former New Zealand skipper McCullum says Black Caps were were a ‘little bit timid’ against Australia in ICC T20 World Cup summit clash

PTIUpdated: Tuesday, November 16, 2021, 12:06 PM IST
article-image
Brendon McCullum | File Photo

Former New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum feels the Black Caps were “a little bit timid” against Australia in the T20 World Cup final, saying they brought a gun to the fight, except they "didn't fire the bullets".

New Zealand had entered the summit clash on the back of sensational win over favourites England but their hopes of winning a second ICC title this year was shattered as Australia cruised to an eight-wicket victory.

"I don't want to say we took a knife to a gunfight . we took a gun, but we didn't fire any bullets. (NZ were) a little bit timid. Just a missed opportunity, we didn't fire the bullets we took," he said.

The former cricketer, who led New Zealand all three formats, said the lack of aggression scoring runs was New Zealands undoing.

Australia after winning the Men's T20 World Cup, 2021.

Australia after winning the Men's T20 World Cup, 2021. | Photo: AFP

"I just expected a bit more from (Martin Guptill), he got 28 off 35 balls in the final and that in isolation doesn't look great. But then when you strip it down, he was 16 off 15 to get underway in the final, and then in his next 20 balls he scored 12 runs, that's the time where you need to be accelerating, and all it did was (take) the air out of us.

"(That was) the most glaringly obvious part of our batting."

McCullum, who himself tasted defeat at the hands of Australia in the 2015 ODI World Cup final, said the Kane Williamson and Co. needed a more aggressive approach.

"When you take on the Aussies, you've got to be prepared to risk failure to overcome them. They are not going to hand it to you," he said.

"I'd just like to see us be more aggressive in those situations," he added.

RECENT STORIES

Viral Video: DC Skipper Rishabh Pant Furious After His Dismissal, Hits The Curtain With His Bat In...

Viral Video: DC Skipper Rishabh Pant Furious After His Dismissal, Hits The Curtain With His Bat In...

Viral Pic: DC Coach Ricky Ponting Involved In Animated Chat With 4th Umpire During Mid-Innings Of...

Viral Pic: DC Coach Ricky Ponting Involved In Animated Chat With 4th Umpire During Mid-Innings Of...

Spain Masters: PV Sindhu Advances To Quarterfinals; Tanisha-Ashwini & Sumeeth-Sikki Pairs Also Win

Spain Masters: PV Sindhu Advances To Quarterfinals; Tanisha-Ashwini & Sumeeth-Sikki Pairs Also Win

Rishabh Pant To Virat Kohli: Cricketers Who Became The First To Play 100 IPL Matches For Their Teams

Rishabh Pant To Virat Kohli: Cricketers Who Became The First To Play 100 IPL Matches For Their Teams

RR vs DC, IPL 2024: Kuldeep Yadav Hilariously Forces Rishabh Pant To Take DRS; Video

RR vs DC, IPL 2024: Kuldeep Yadav Hilariously Forces Rishabh Pant To Take DRS; Video