McCullum commits another year to New Zealand

New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum announced that he had signed a one-year contract extension with the national team, putting an end to speculations about his future with the Black Caps after the recently completed England tour.

The captain will be available at least until next year’s T20 World Cup in India. However, he will miss tours of Zimbabwe and South Africa this year, citing a busy schedule in the recent months.

The 33-year old who led his side to their maiden ICC Cricket World Cup final this year had been facing questions about his future, as he nurses a long-standing back problem. The former wicket-keeper has stated that it is a critical time for the team and wants to guide the young side.

“It’s a critical time for the team,” he said. “We’ve had a very good past 18 months but we’ve got some real challenges ahead of us and we need to keep making progress.

“This is a young, emerging side with some very big series on the horizon and it’s a really exciting time to be involved,” he added.

McCullum and coach Mike Hesson have led a major change in the fortunes of the Black Caps, with the team not losing a Test series either at home or away since 2013. New Zealand will play home and away series against Australia in 2015-16 and will also host Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

New Zealand cricket chief David White expressed his delight over the news. “Under Brendon, the Black Caps have enjoyed unprecedented success over the past 18 months. To have him remaining at the helm for another year is extremely good news,” he said.