In the end, 1-1 was a fair reflection: McCullum

New Zealand cricket captain Brendon McCullum accepted even the rare achievement of beating England in a Test match was unlikely to see his side supplant the mighty All Blacks in the nation’s sporting affections. However, he said he hoped one consequence of New Zealand’s 199-run win in the second Test at Headingley on Tuesday would be to broaden the Black Caps’ player base. [caption id=“attachment_2276488” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Alastair Cook shakes hands with Brendon McCullum after drawing the Investec Test series. Getty[/caption] New Zealand, the reigning world champions in rugby union, defend their title at the 2015 World Cup in England which starts in September. For more than a century, the All Blacks have been one of the major forces in the 15-man game. They boast an international winning record of more than 76 percent and a near 90 percent success rate since 2012. By contrast, Tuesday’s win was just New Zealand’s ninth victory in 101 cricket Tests against England. But with New Zealand having made it all the way to one-day cricket’s World Cup final, before losing to fellow co-hosts Australia in Melbourne in March, McCullum said his side were gaining ground. - ‘Rugby’s in our blood’ - “We’ll never get near rugby – rugby’s in our blood,” McCullum told reporters at Headingley on Tuesday after a victory that saw New Zealand share the two-match series 1-1 following England’s 124-run win in the first Test at Lord’s last week. “When you’re born you’re trying to be an All Black – it’s just the way we are,” said McCullum, who was once picked in a South Island schools rugby team ahead of New Zealand fly-half great Dan Carter. “But with cricket, we were able to captivate our nation throughout the World Cup,” he added. “Performances like this certainly can’t do any harm. “If it allows us one or two extra talents we have in our country choosing cricket because of the way we play, I think that’s great for the game.” A feature of New Zealand’s play at both Lord’s – where they scored over 700 runs and took 20 wickets but still lost – and Headingley, was their aggressive approach. In particular the speed at which they scored their runs, with batsmen all the way down encouraged to go for their shots in one-day, rather than classic Test, fashion helped New Zealand overcome the fact that most of the fourth day’s play at Headingley was washed out. “It’s how we want to play the game,” said McCullum. “It’s not always easy to remain true to your beliefs when you are under pressure. “But I’ve also said you’ve got to earn the right to do so, and we did that throughout this Test match.” New Zealand took the game away from England with a second innings total of 454 for eight declared featuring BJ Watling’s 120. England, set a huge target of 455, struggled in their chase with left-arm paceman Trent Boult, New Zealand’s man of the series with 13 wickets, making an early double strike on Tuesday before spinners Kane Williamson and Mark Craig shared six wickets between them. “Obviously the way BJ ‘iced’ it was superb,” said McCullum. “I’ve been here a few times and had no success…England in their own conditions are a very, very good cricket team.” There was a lingering sense of frustration that, with England set to face Australia in a five-match Ashes contest, this series was restricted to just two Tests rather than at least three. “It would have been great to have a third Test,” said McCullum. “But rather than looking at what may have been, we should look back on what has been an outstanding Test series played in an incredibly good spirit by both teams. “In the end, 1-1 was a fair reflection.” AFP