McCullum became the first New Zealand batsman to score 1,000 Test runs in 2014

Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo

Brendon McCullum has been named New Zealand sportsman of the year and is the first cricketer to win the award since Martin Crowe did in 1991.

Under McCullum’s captaincy, New Zealand won five out of the nine Test matches they played in 2014, which is now a national record. Their successful run in Tests included beating India and the West Indies, along with a drawn series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates.

During that time, McCullum scored 1,164 Test runs at a jaw-dropping average of 72.75, which is highest number of runs scored by a New Zealand player in a calender year. He also became the first New Zealand batsman to score a triple century, which came against India during the second Test in Wellington in February 2014.