'Brendon McCullum sledged me like never before': Usman Khawaja recalls
What's the story
Australia opener Usman Khawaja has opened up about his first encounter with former New Zealand captain and current England head coa Brendon McCullum. The two cricketers faced off during the 2011 series, where an aggressive McCullum sledged Khawaja mercilessly. "He absolutely tore shreds off me," Khawaja recalled in an interview with Fox Cricket. "He sledged the crap out of me, like I'd never been sledged in international cricket before."
Change in demeanor
McCullum's transformation into a sportsmanship icon
However, when Khawaja faced McCullum again in 2015, he was a changed man. By then, McCullum had become the poster boy for sportsmanship and even received the ICC Spirit of Cricket Award for his exemplary leadership of the New Zealand team. He had banned sledging within his own camp as captain - a move that former Australian pacer Mitchell Johnson had mocked at the time.
Apology received
Khawaja's post-series conversation with McCullum
After Australia's 2016 tour of New Zealand, which was also McCullum's last Test series, Khawaja had a conversation with him during the post-series drinks. It was then that the former New Zealand skipper apologized for his verbal jibes from their first encounter. "I won't say exactly the words that he said, but he was just like, 'Yeah. I was a bit of a...I've learned a lot and matured since then,'" Khawaja recalled.
Regret expressed
McCullum's reflection on his past behavior
Later in his autobiography, McCullum reflected on some of his early career conduct that he wasn't proud of. He even recalled an incident from 2006 when he ran out Muttiah Muralitharan while the Sri Lankan was celebrating teammate Kumar Sangakkara's century - something he deeply regretted. "I wasted a few years trying to be brash and arrogant and hard-minded," McCullum penned. "It was a false attitude, not true to my character."