Australian opener Usman Khawaja has recalled his first encounter with current England coach Brendon McCullum and said the former wicketkeeper tore him apart with his sledge. McCullum was known to be a fierce competitor during his early days as a wicket-keeper batsman, but toned it down when he became the Blackcaps captain.
Khawaja ran into McCullum during the 2011-12 series when the current England coach was at his best on the field. Recalling the incident, the Australian opener said he was not comfortable with it and claimed he had never been sledged in international cricket before.
“He was absolutely tearing me apart,” Khawaja recalled.
“He took the sledge out of me like I had never been sledged in international cricket before.
However, when Khawaja next met McCullum in 2015, he was a changed man as he became the captain and became a sports boy. McCullum was awarded the ICC Spirit of Cricket Award for his exemplary leadership of the New Zealand team. The goalkeeper even banned sledding inside the New Zealand camp.
Khawaja said it was bizarre to see McCullum like this because he has changed as a captain.
“It was really bizarre, a couple of years later when we played against him and he was the captain, he was a completely different person,” Khawaja said.
“He was cool and just went about his business.
Khawaja said he had a chat with McCullum at the end of the 2016 tour of New Zealand, which was his farewell Test series. The Aussie opener said McCullum had apologized for his actions in 2011.
“I won’t say the exact words he said, but he just said, ‘Yeah. I was kind of like, I’ve learned a lot and I’ve matured since then,'” Khawaja said.
“But he nailed me when I was young, so it’s funny to see both sides.
“I respect someone who grows up and looks back and thinks, ‘Yeah, I guess I didn’t play as well as I wanted to.’ I have nothing but respect for it.”
After taking up the position of coach of the English teamMcCullum instilled a fearless attitude with his Bazball mantra. As coach of the England team, he won 25 out of 40 Tests.
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Published on:
November 18, 2025
