McCullum relieved as tough call pays off
0New Zealand captain, Brendon McCullum, admits he agonised over enforcing the follow-on against the West Indies but was glad he did as his team won the second Test by an innings and 73 runs.
The Black Caps made 441 in a first innings that featured a knock of 129 by Ross Taylor and the bowlers backed up the batsmen as they skittled the tourists for 193.
McCullum was left with a decision to make. He chose not to give his bowlers a rest and instead went for the throat, a call that betting fans saw vindicated as Trent Boult bowled New Zealand to victory. He took four wickets in the second innings and 10 in the match to give McCullum’s side a win inside three days.
It was New Zealand’s first Test triumph since November 2012 and gave them a 1-0 lead going into the final match of the series in Hamilton next week.
McCullum said it was an easy Test to captain because of his bowlers, although they did leave him with one tricky decision. “The hardest point was whether to enforce the follow-on,” the 32-year-old said on Friday.
“There was some doubt there and I’ve always been a fan of if in doubt take the aggressive action, (so) the decision was to back the seamers in favourable conditions and these guys responded brilliantly and thankfully it worked. So, I certainly enjoyed today.”
It has been a good series for McCullum, who hit his first century in three years in the first Test. He won his first match as skipper in the second and fans who bet on cricket will now be confident his side can finish the job in the finale and deliver a rare series victory.