McCullum keen to dish out a battering on Australia

Brisbane: A thunderous 146 of 115 balls by Kiwi batsman Brendon McCullum against Australia “A” is being seen as instructive ahead of next Thursday`s first Test against Australia at the Gabba.

A middle-order batsman for most of his 58-Test career, McCullum has found a home as an opener for New Zealand since its visit to India this time last year, a tour in which, batting at No. 3, he produced a wonderful 225 in Hyderabad. It was also in India in 2010 where McCullum, historically a wicketkeeper-batsman, quit wearing the gloves at Test level, in an effort to prolong his career. His sparkling hundred in the tour match yesterday may have been plundered on the small, suburban Allan Border Field, but in this touch he could well prove a damaging obstacle at the Gabba next week for an Australian side battling to name a fit bowling line-up, a leading daily reports. New Zealand will enter the first Test trying to win a five-day match in Australia for the first time since 1985. ``We`ve got some pretty big aspirations but there`s a lot of cricket to be played,`` McCullum said. He added: ``There`s a lot of history there, but this team has probably only really been together for six to 12 months. The Australian team is still dangerous - it`s not the team they had with five of the greatest players of all time in it, so they`ve probably come back to the pack - but they`re still very much a dangerous team. ``If we`re any chance at all of pulling this off, then we`re going to have to play exceptionally well,`` McCullum said. ANI