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Brendon McCullum Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 29, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth27 September 1981

Age40 Years

BirthplaceDunedin, Otago, New Zealand

ProfessionNew Zealand Cricketer

NationalityKiwi

Marital statusMarried

SpouseEllissa McCullum

FamilyFather: Stuart McCullum; Brother: Nathan McCullum; Children: Riley McCullum, Maya McCullum

Net worth$6 million

Brendon McCullum Biography

Brendon Barrie McCullum is a former New Zealand international cricketer known for explosive batting, wicketkeeping early in his career, and leadership that

Early life and background

Brendon Barrie McCullum was born on 27 September 1981 in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Raised in a cricketing household, his father Stuart McCullum played first-class cricket for Otago. Brendon attended King’s High School in Dunedin and came through local age-group ranks, beginning his representative journey with the Otago under-17s in 1996.

McCullum is a New Zealander by nationality and was raised in a Christian household. He is married to Ellissa McCullum and is a father; his children include Riley and Maya. Physically, he is about 170 cm tall (5'7") with blue eyes and dark brown hair. McCullum also has several tattoos, including a scroll on his upper arm and shoulder featuring Roman numerals tied to his career, a silver fern on his chest, and a ring impression tattooed because he cannot wear a wedding ring while playing.

Career

McCullum made his One Day International debut on 17 January 2002 against Australia in Sydney. He played his first Test on 10 March 2004 versus South Africa in Hamilton and appeared in his first T20 international on 17 February 2005 against Australia in Auckland. He wore jersey number 42 and represented a range of domestic and franchise teams during his career, including Otago Volts, Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings, Gujarat Lions, Brisbane Heat, Kochi Tuskers Kerala, Sussex, Birmingham Bears (Warwickshire), and Trinbago Knight Riders.

Primarily known as an attacking batsman, McCullum began his international career as a wicketkeeper-batsman before later giving up the gloves because of persistent back trouble. Even after moving away from wicketkeeping duties, his contributions behind the stumps left a lasting mark: across formats he accounted for a combined tally of 462 caught-behinds, making him one of New Zealand’s most successful keepers historically.

McCullum was a prolific presence in Twenty20 cricket and retired as the format’s highest run-scorer at that time, accumulating 2,140 runs and holding the lead in several counting categories, including fifties, centuries, sixes and fours. He produced some landmark innings in Test and ODI cricket: in February 2014 he became the first New Zealander to score a Test triple century when he made 302 against India. At the 2015 World Cup he recorded an 18-ball fifty, eclipsing his own previous World Cup fastest-50 mark. In his farewell Test he scored a century off 54 deliveries against Australia, setting a new record for the fastest Test hundred and finishing his Test career with 107 sixes, surpassing the previous mark held by Adam Gilchrist.

As captain, McCullum had a transformational impact on New Zealand’s fortunes. When he took over the full-time captaincy, the national team sat outside the top tier in Test and ODI rankings; within three years under his leadership, New Zealand rose into the top three in both formats. Under his stewardship New Zealand reached the Cricket World Cup final in 2015 for the first time in the country’s history.

Public profile

McCullum built a reputation for aggressive, inventive strokeplay on the field while maintaining a calm presence in temperament. His favourite shot was noted as the scoop. Off the field he has written columns for the Daily Mail and published an autobiography titled Declared in 2016. He has also been involved in public discussions around the spirit of cricket, including a public apology relating to a controversial run-out in 2006.

Controversies that intersected with his career include the 2006 dismissal of Muttiah Muralitharan, which later prompted McCullum to publicly apologize at the MCC Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey Lecture in 2016. He was also involved in public testimony related to past spot-fixing allegations concerning another player; those matters were subject to legal processes.

Latest updates

After his playing career McCullum moved into coaching and other roles in the game. In May 2022 he was appointed England Test coach while also holding responsibilities with the Indian Premier League franchise Kolkata Knight Riders at the time of that appointment.

Personal interests

Outside cricket McCullum enjoys horse riding, rugby and golf. He has expressed admiration for Vivian Richards as a favourite cricketer. He smoked and drank at times, according to public profiles, and lists Craig McMillan among his coaches and mentors.
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Recent Work

England Test coach

Appointed as England Test coach in May 2022 while involved with Kolkata Knight Riders.

2022
Declared (autobiography)

Published his autobiography, Declared, in 2016.

2016
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Career Highlights

  1. First New Zealander to score a Test triple century (302 vs India, 2014)
  2. Fastest Test century at the time, 54 balls in his farewell Test vs Australia
  3. Retired as the leading run-scorer in T20 internationals at the time with 2,140 runs
  4. Led New Zealand to their first Cricket World Cup final (2015)
  5. Recorded 107 sixes in Test cricket, surpassing the previous mark
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Net Worth

$6 million

Figures are editorial estimates based on publicly available reporting and may change as new information emerges.

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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Brendon McCullum born?

27 September 1981

What is Brendon McCullum known for?

New Zealand Cricketer

What is Brendon McCullum’s marital status?

Married

Who is Brendon McCullum married to?

Ellissa McCullum

What is Brendon McCullum’s net worth?

$6 million