Brendon McCullum brought out his autobiography Declared last week, providing many insights into his career. Photo/Photosport.nz
As the Black Caps tour of India continues to spiral out of control, a completely different storm is waiting when they come home.
Brendon McCullum's autobiography Declared was released last week and has caused a stir among Ross Taylor supporters.
Among the amusing anecdotes of him smoking in the toilets during New Zealand's wins over Australia and South Africa at the 2015 World Cup and his reasons for testifying against his former hero Chris Cairns, McCullum took aim at his former teammate Taylor.
Taylor was named captain in 2012 after a public job application and McCullum was very critical of the way his predecessor led the side, particularly on how accessible he was for his troops.
"Ross would say nothing. Not a word. What the hell was he thinking? I have no idea," McCullum wrote.
"If you wanted to talk to him, you had to knock on his door. I don't think Ross had any idea what his leadership style was going to be."
Despite McCullum admittedly not being ready for the role then, one would think he would have at least provided a change in outlook and approach.
With the appointment of Mike Hesson as coach, McCullum felt that his coaching style would bring out the best of Taylor. But it wasn't to be as Taylor was sacked as captain, making McCullum the successor.
While there was widespread thought that McCullum was part of a supposed coup, he had initially wanted a different coach.
"One problem with that narrative was that I had recommended Matthew Mott to the selection panel, but details like that tend to spoil a good conspiracy theory, and as events unfolded, it was clear that logic would play an ever-diminishing role."
It was a dark era for New Zealand cricket where their performances on the field reflected the issues off it.
While Taylor was, and still is, a world class batsman, he was not captaincy material at the time and didn't set a definitive direction for the Black Caps to go.
McCullum, in his tenure, changed the way New Zealand played to such an extent that they went from also-rans to World Cup finalists in the space of two years.
Led by McCullum's aggression and tenacity, players threw themselves around in the field. It wasn't uncommon to see McCullum hurtle into the fence chasing a ball right to the boundary.
But with the change came controversy, which prompted former players such as John Parker to publicly ridicule McCullum, Hesson and the New Zealand Cricket setup.
A former captain, Parker revealed to Radio Sport that he and up to 40 other prominent past cricketers prepared a dossier that proves Taylor was "done over" by McCullum, Hesson and NZC chief executive David White.
Like the people who brought Aaron Smith's toilet tryst video straight to the media instead of the appropriate organisations, Parker and his crew went about the situation completely wrong, letting the court of public opinion make their decision.
It is nothing more than a low blow taking the public route and is incredibly disrespectful to all parties involved. It doesn't matter who the people want as captain because they are not involved in the side and, for the most part, don't know who would be best suited to the role.
Luckily for Parker and his supposed co-conspirators, who McCullum said most have denied any part of the dossier, McCullum's gone.
What Parker and others cannot disagree with now, however, is that New Zealand were a far better side with McCullum in it. This is evident with the current series in India.
While Tom Latham has starred, players such as Martin Guptill and Taylor have struggled. Taylor is world class, averaging 43.39 in ODIs and 46.24 in tests, and will definitely come fully right sooner rather than later. His 44 in the latest match showed he was getting close to form.
But Guptill is the one who is missing McCullum the most. With "B-Mac" there, Guptill was able to work his way into an innings while McCullum belted the ball around.
Now with Latham performing the Guptill role with gusto, the Aucklander needs to perform the McCullum role. But it's not evident yet that he can.
Brendon McCullum has left an indelible mark on NZ Cricket, but whether that's a good or a bad thing depends on who you ask.