Image courtesy of: Zimbio

“He’s too valuable a player for us to consider using him as a keeper”

New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum’s days as a wicketkeeper appear to be over after head coach Mike Hesson stated that he did not want to see one of his greatest assets continue to fall victim to back injuries in the future.

Despite not having donned the keeping gloves in Test matches since 2010, McCullum has continued to be New Zealand’s keeper in limited overs cricket.

However, that is likely to stop after he sustained yet another back injury during New Zealand’s tour of Bangladesh in October.

“We’re unlikely to use him as a keeper,” Hesson said. “He’s too valuable a player for us to consider using him as a keeper.”

McCullum is still feeling the side effects of his latest back injury and, as a result, Hesson noted that the New Zealand skipper is highly unlikely to play every game in a season.

“We’d only rest him if his back was at a point where he couldn’t play,” Hesson said. “That could well occur. He’s made some good progress. He’s always a bit stiff but it doesn’t seem to affect his movement too much.”