McCullum, who retired with 6,453 runs in 101 Tests for New Zealand and had a high score of 302, suggested that economics of the five-day game made it an unviable proposition for several nations.

“I firmly believe that Test cricket won’t be around in time, because there’s only so many teams that can afford to play it,” he said in an interview to ESPNcricinfo. “And whilst we all adore Test cricket, and for me it is the purest form of the game, I’m loyal to it, I’m also a realist that people are turning up and watching T20.”

In just the last year, McCullum has put his unconventional cricket philosophy into practice in the IPL, the Pakistan Super League, the Big Bash League, the Bangladesh Premier League, the Caribbean Premier League and the T20 Blast. He’s quite content to continue as a player for now – “I’m invigorated by it, to be honest, the way I’m hitting the ball” – but sees a career in coaching after that.

“The IP of three hundred and something games is quite valuable, and I like the idea that I can help people. And I think if you’re running an environment, then you have the ability to be able to free guys up.”