McCullum’s captaincy ambition soars again

CHENNAI - Brendon McCullum wants to be New Zealand cricket captain, but right now he is focussed on scoring big runs during the 2011 World Cup, opening the New Zealand innings.

The Black Caps play India on Wednesday in a warm up game that is expected to be packed to capacity at Chennai’s 50,000 seater M A Chidambaram Stadium.

McCullum, playing in his third World Cup, spoke after a Black Caps training session at the ground. “I have ambitions to captain New Zealand,” he said.

“I believe I can add something and help these guys get the best out of themselves. I would dearly love that opportunity but at the moment my focus is leading from the front with runs and catches,” Stuff.co.nz quoted McCullum, as saying.

McCullum was stripped of the vice-captaincy in 2009.

After some experimentation with the batting order during Pakistan’s recent tour of New Zealand, McCullum is back at the top with Martin Guptill.

“The whole feeling out process of our order and who is going to bat where, the chopping and changing came from the selectors. But now we have arrived in India we are pretty settled about what our line up is going to be,” McCullum said.e admitted the New Zealand team was nervous heading into the match against India, a team high on confidence and the expectations of 1.1 billion people behind them.

“We have failed a little bit in the past but you can’t be having that sort of mentality,” McCullum said. (ANI)