Daryll Cullinan talks about Records, Criticism and more...

He stroked a scintillating first class hundred at 16, while becoming the youngest, he dethroned the legendary Graeme Pollock.

South Africa believed that they have found their new Graeme Pollock. Daryll Cullinan, without an iota of doubt was a prodigy. Unfortunately the world only got to see a glimpse of it. Known as domestic traveller in South Africa for playing for as many as eight states. Cullinan’s majestic 275 at the Eden Park Auckland against the Kiwis was the highest individual test score for South Africa, once again eclipsing the great Graeme Pollock’s 274. That record afterwards was broken by Hashim Amla.

Cullinan was a vital cog in the wheel of South Africa’s middle order during their hey days of 90’s. An absolutely free flowing batsman the stocky right hander would dominate the bowling. Within a span of 9 years, from 1993 to 2001 Cullinan played 70 tests and amassed 4554 runs at an average of 44.00. He was a hugely impact player. He cracked 14 test hundreds and only once did South Africa lose when he notched up a three figure marks. That apart he figured in 138 ODIs and aggregated 3860 runs with 3 hundreds.

Although Cullinan was a part of Bob Woolmer’s team of ninety, he had great regards for Bobby Simpson’s school of coaching. He still recalls those simple yet profound basics of Simpson, “You go to move quickly, you got to move late, you got to move once.” Referring to his much hyped failure against Shane Warne, a candid Cullinan said, “Towards the end it dawned on me that I did not do the simplest of the things to watch the ball out of the hands. But it was too late by then.”

After calling it quits Daryll Cullinan had a stint with TV commentary. In media he spoke as straight as he played. At the moment he is the Director of Coaching with M.S. Dhoni’s Cricket Academy in India. The former South African batsman is dead serious about the job as he says, “I feel highly privileged to be part of this endeavour of M.S. Dhoni. My vision is to work for the grass root and create a defining future for them.” With a team of Indian coaches, fitness professionals – backed up by skillful administrators, Cullinan is exploring a range of places to spread the wing of MS Dhoni’s cricket academy across the globe.