Brendon McCullum Still a Champion in Defeat as New Zealand Wrap Up Tour

The tour to England did not quite go according to plan for New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum.

His team, despite providing plenty of excitement and playing aggressive cricket throughout, failed to win a series.

After a 1-1 draw in the Tests, they surrendered a 2-1 lead to lose 3-2 in the one-dayers.

A one-off Twenty20 fixture at Old Trafford offered them the chance to finish with a flourish. It also offered McCullum the batsman one last opportunity to record an innings of note before the trip was over.

Alas, just like his side, New Zealand's skipper promised much but failed to go on and deliver.

He crashed his way to 35 in a hurry, slamming four sixes in the process, but then deflected a Mark Wood yorker off the toe-end of his bat and into off stump.

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New Zealand went on to lose their last five wickets for four runs, gifting England the victory. The final margin of 56 runs was convincing, but it had been a much-closer game than the scores might suggest.

McCullum's unfortunate dismissal in Manchester meant that in 10 innings on English soil, the right-hander registered just the one half-century.

That solitary 50 came in the second Test at Headingley, and by McCullum's usual standards was snail-like (he faced 98 deliveries to make 55). It was, though, crucial in helping set up a winning position for the tourists, allowing them to square the series on the final day in Leeds. 

There were starts for McCullum in the 50-over fixtures that followed but no big score. In fact, only in the fourth ODI at Trent Bridge did he last beyond the initial power-play period.

But, despite his disappointing numbers, his reputation as a leader has only been enhanced.

Actor John Cleese went so far as to suggest that the 33-year-old deserves to be honoured by the Queen in the near future, tweeting:

While Sir Brendon McCullum may be going a touch too far, the man from Dunedin does deserve a lot of credit, not only for the way his team has played but also the ripple effect that has spread across to the opposing changing room. 

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then McCullum should soak up the adulation.

England has watched the way New Zealand go about limited-overs cricket in particular and decided to follow suit. Few could have imagined it would go so well so quickly, but such is the power of positive thinking.

Eoin Morgan and McCullum are very much alike. England's skipper is also at his best when playing with complete freedom, when he's allowed to demonstrate his destructive batting abilities without worrying about the consequences of getting out.

Handed the one-day captaincy just prior to the Cricket World Cup, Morgan struggled for form as he found himself steering a sinking ship. The iceberg arrived in the form of a defeat to Bangladesh in Adelaide, meaning an earlier-than-expected flight home and a long debrief into how things went so badly wrong. 

Coach Peter Moores paid the price, but Morgan remained at the helm.

When they had faced New Zealand earlier in the tournament, McCullum had some kind words to say about his good friend, per the Guardian: “He’s going through a bit of a tough time. Tough times don’t last, but tough blokes do. Hopefully at some point he’ll come out of it.”

Morgan could say the very same thing to his mate now, with the tour over.

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Yet while McCullum the batsman has not been at his best, McCullum the captain has been outstanding.

His aggression with the bat is matched by his desire to take wickets with the ball. Funky fields are becoming his trademark, but they're not just for show. 

At times when Morgan was at the crease, for instance, McCullum would station up to four men in and around the point area, knowing the left-hander loved to hit through that region off the quicker bowlers. 

Containment is not McCullum's modus operandi. He knows the easiest way to stop opposing sides prospering is taking wickets, no matter what format you are playing.

England has entered into the spirit of things and, in the process, lifted the entire mood of their supporters. The focus has been switched away from the corridors of power at the England and Wales Cricket Board and back to what is happening on the field.

Facing New Zealand has been the perfect appetiser for the Ashes, but the main course may not be so palatable.

Australia, unlike their trans-Tasman rivals, will want to win more than just friends during their stay in England. If the early part of the summer was a friendly fight, the next will be more like a grudge match.