Men’s ODI WC: Craig McDermott urges Australia to use McCullum tactic from 2015 against de Kock in semi-final

Kolkata: Former fast-bowler Craig McDermott Australia can use the tactic they implemented in 2015 World Cup final to get the better of Brendon McCullum against South Africa opener Quinton de Kock in the second semifinal of 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup at the Eden Gardens on Thursday.

De Kock, who will retire from ODIs after the World Cup, has been in red-hot form for the Proteas, making 591 runs in nine innings at an average of 65.66 and strike-rate of 109.24, including smashing four centuries.

“Quinton de Kock has got a pretty high bat lift as well and it's something that they may think about doing in those first couple of balls. If you don't get it right, you're going to get driven down the ground for four or through covers. But if it comes off (it could take a wicket).”

“Certainly, de Kock’s been in great form during this World Cup, he’s a very good player. If we can knock one of those openers over early, we’re in with a show,” said McDermott on SEN Radio.

McDermott was the Australian team bowling coach and played a big part in Mitchell Starc’s iconic dismissal of Brendon McCullum in the 2015 World Cup final at the MCG, which the side eventually won to get their fifth World Cup title.

“It was something that I talked to Mitchell about sort of three or four weeks out from the final. The way McCullum was playing he was going from ball one and really going hard. They were 70 or 80 off 10 overs regularly during the tournament.”

“I just said to Mitchell, ‘He's got this massive, big backswing, so for the next couple of weeks, we need to have a good amount of practice on bowling yorkers’. It was about bowling three or four yorkers in those first six balls,” he recalled about the plan to dismiss McCullum.

McDermott then told about the plan to dismiss McCullum to captain Michael Clarke, who liked the concept. Eventually, Starc executed the plan to perfection with McCullum bowled for a third-ball duck in the first over of the game, with 93,013 fans at the MCG going gaga over the dismissal.

“Obviously, I went to Michael Clarke and discussed it with him as well before I spoke to Mitchell and he was all over it. Mitchell did the work, and the first ball almost took the stumps and by the third ball, McCullum was back in the sheds. They really didn't have a plan B after that because they depended so heavily on him getting them off the mark very quickly in those first 10 or 15 overs. They just capitulated after that,” concluded McDermott.