KEY POINTS:
After delivering a one-day cricket batting master class in yesterday's State Shield final, Brendon McCullum says he now has to reassess his approach before the test cricket series with England starts here on Wednesday.
The New Zealand wicketkeeper, who revised the domestic one-day record books with a spanking 170 for Otago against Auckland yesterday, now faces a potentially tricky adjustment to the demands of the test format.
His blitz against Auckland, which lasted 108 balls, contained 19 boundaries and the fastest century ever scored in the national one-day competition.
The 26-year-old could be forgiven for wishing his one-day assignments never ended considering a run of form that also punished England's limited overs attack.
McCullum rounded off New Zealand's 3-1 series victory with 77 off 43 balls in Christchurch and followed that with a masterful 108 off 128 balls in the State Shield semifinal against Canterbury.
McCullum joined the New Zealand squad in Hamilton today and acknowledged he had some serious thinking to do before the first test.
"It's something I'm going to have to work out in the next 24-48 hours, how I'm going to play in terms of my own game," said the wicketkeeper, who has placed even Adam Gilchrist's exploits in the shade of late.
Asked if he could afford to carry the same attacking bent into the three test series, McCullum said: "Elements of it yes.
"Obviously you've got to curb it a little bit but the intent and aggressiveness is probably something that suits my style of play more so than probably trying to rely too much on my defence.
"Some guys round the world certainly play like that - it's just working out the situation and what it requires.
"There may be times when I have to quieten down. I guess you have to assess it as you go along and I think I've got the game to adjust."
Indeed, McCullum thought his effort yesterday was a prime example of his capability to tailor an innings to the circumstances required.
"I was happy with the way I managed to change gears. I've been a bit guilty in the past of not being able to pull it back and not consolidate through the remainder of the innings.
"That was the most pleasing aspect - getting away to a quick start and then being able to knock it around and get us through to the total."
And though his innings was no doubt beneficial from an individual and Otago perspective, was there a danger it had a detrimental affect on Auckland duo Chris Martin and Kyle Mills - New Zealand's opening attack?
Martin had 81 clubbed off his eight overs while Mills escaped relatively lightly, conceding 45 off eight.
"They'll be fine," McCullum said.
"They know the ground, the pitch and the format was completely different to what we're going to head into now. It was a flat wicket and the boundaries were pretty small.
"They're both fantastic bowlers and I'm sure one game won't affect them too much."
The pair at least got an indication how Stuart Broad, James Anderson and Ryan Sidebottom were feeling during the ODI series, and only the latter is expected to feature in the opening test.
Steve Harmison, Matthew Hoggard and possibly spinner Monty Panesar, depending on the pitch assessment, will bolster a side McCullum believes will be far tougher than their ODI counterparts.
"England are quite a different side in the test arena to what they are in the one-day format.
"They're a proven test unit, and at the moment we're struggling. We want to keep the confidence we built up during the one-day series but we're underdogs, absolutely."
Meanwhile, England's concerns over the fitness of Sidebottom eased today as the left arm swing bowler completed a energetic work out.
Encouragingly for the tourists Paul Collingwood, who has also been hampered by a right hamstring strain, also bowled in the nets before having an extra running session after his teammates had returned to their hotel.
- NZPA