Brendon McCullum has been in tremendous form in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, frequently getting New Zealand off to a rollicking start. On the other hand, Glenn Maxwell was — till the semi-final against India — Australia’s leading run-scorer of the tournament. Shiamak Unwallawonders whether “Baz” will scythe away, or if “The Big Show” will come out on top. SCORECARD: ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Final Australia (AUS) vs New Zealand (NZ) at Melbourne
In terms of belligerence, few current opening batsmen can match up to Brendon McCullum. Virender Sehwag was perhaps the most aggressive opening batsman in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, frequently getting off the mark with a boundary. This time around, that mantle has been taken up by McCullum. Brendon McCullum: Cricket’s Wolverine!
If McCullum has been a game-changer at the top of the innings, Glenn Maxwell has performed that role coming in at No. 5 or 6. That Maxwell was an audacious hitter was never really in doubt; few would have forgotten his exploits in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2015, where his innovative and clean hitting offered a new dimension to modern batting. Brendon McCullum becomes 2nd batsman to score 3,000 ODI runs in New Zealand
In terms of style and impact, the two batsmen are not entirely dissimilar. Though their roles are vastly different, the fact that they are their respective sides’ most dangerous batsmen cannot be disputed. McCullum has scored a half-century in four of the eight matches so far, setting and breaking records in most of them. McCullum broke his own record of fastest World Cup fifty during his innings of 77 against England. It remains the only 50-plus World Cup score with a strike rate of over 300. Brendon McCullum has four of the 11 fastest 50-plus scores in World Cup cricket
On the other hand, Maxwell has been in serious contention of breaking the record of fastest World Cup century on at least two occasions. He came close against Sri Lanka, scoring his maiden ODI ton in 52 balls, while he crashed his way to 88 in only 39 deliveries against England and would have surely broken the record had he not got out.
Below is the comparison of the performances of both men in the ongoing World Cup:
| Player | M | I | R | HS | Ave | SR | 100s | 50s | 4s | 6s |
| Brendon McCullum | 8 | 8 | 328 | 77 | 41 | 191.81 | 0 | 4 | 44 | 17 |
| Glenn Maxwell | 7 | 6 | 324 | 102 | 64.8 | 182.02 | 1 | 2 | 35 | 14 |
McCullum has scored more runs — only just — but has an inferior average. He has not scored a century yet, but has scored his runs at an astounding strike rate of 191.81 with four fifties as opposed to Maxwell’s strike rate of 182.02 with a century and two fifties. McCullum has also hit more fours and sixes, though a single innings could change that very quickly.
On the whole, Australia will be hoping dearly for McCullum to fail, while New Zealand will be looking to get rid of Maxwell early. One thing is for sure: if both Baz and The Big Show fire simultaneously, we are in for an entertaining final. Glenn Maxwell, ideal all-rounder in limited overs cricket: An analysis
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Glenn Maxwell vs Brendon McCullum: Who will dominate ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Final?
