ERST LESEN! » something thats always been really good

Swashbuckling batsman, aggressive captain, and all-round good bloke… Nasser Hussain discusses the outgoing - in more ways than one - New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum. Its a cliché to talk about cricketers being in the entertainment business but thats exactly what McCullum was in.He was never there to plod along and get a score for himself - he was the original see ball, hit ball guy who was there to show you what he could do.That came from his immense ability, though - it wasnt a case of Brendon waking up one morning and thinking Im going to transform the game, he knew he had the skill to back it up.Dont forget this is a man with a Test triple hundred, three more double hundreds, and 200 sixes in one-day international cricket!His fast hands and fast feet have been incredible to watch, with some of his knocks - particularly the 77 from 25 balls he scored against England in the World Cup, when the opposition didnt know what had hit them - have been incredible. McCullum marmalised England at the 2015 World Cup It can be easy as a player and a captain to be consumed by the game but if you worry about getting out and play fearful cricket, you never express yourself.McCullum never had that problem and always played fearless cricket, probably because its in his nature to be a bit of a gambler, a bit of a risk taker.Proof of that was that he often used up DRS reviews in the first over!If Brendon batted for an hour-and-a-half he could change the game - but he definitely changed the game as a captain in the modern era. Nasser says the Kiwi was a galvanising captain He worked out that in order to win matches you had to take wickets and have catchers in place - in the 2015 World Cup he pretty much adopted Test-match fields.You have to have the attack to deploy those fields - theres no point setting three slips and gully if your bowler is bowling leg-stump half volleys - and he had that in Trent Boult and Tim Southee.Players responded to him, though, and bought into his ideas - I guess it was hard not to if he was attacking all the time and telling you do the same. McCullums final ODI series ended with a win over Australia The other thing to mention is that he is a really nice guy.I know that doesnt really matter in the world of professional sport but he is, and I think it is a real shame that we are losing someone like him at the peak of his powers.At 34, going on 35, he could still have a good few more years left in international cricket and thats something the ICC and these T20 franchises around the world need to think about.How will you remember McCullum? Let us know using the feedback form below. Then catch his final Test, against Australia, from 9.25pm, Friday, Sky Sports 2. Also See: New Zealand fixtures/results Australia fixtures/results Australia win first Test Live cricket on Sky Nick Mullens Super Bowl Jersey . Once again Jordan Cieciwa (@FitCityJordan) and I (@LynchOnSports) go head to head in our picks. Last weekend at UFC Fight Night 32 my #TeamLynch got the best of #TeamJC by a score of 9-6. 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Ellis hit two-run homers and the NL West champion Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Diego Padres 4-0 Saturday night. MILWAUKEE -- Zach Davies run of success may be surprising to most baseball observers, but Craig Counsell isnt among that group.He showed us this last year, the Milwaukee Brewers manager said about Davies. Hes certainly shown that hes had this in him. What you love to see is just the consistency, a guy who you know youve got a good shot to win when hes taking the mound for you. Thats what hes becoming.Davies takes the mound Thursday afternoon against the Arizona Diamondbacks in search of his team-leading eighth victory of the season. He has been marvelous for Milwaukee in 2016, going 7-4 with a 3.64 ERA.Those numbers would be even more impressive were it not for rough start. The 23-year-old right-hander took losses in each of his first three outings of the year, allowing 13 earned runs in 13 1/3 innings.Ever since then, he has been fantastic, going 7-1 with a 2.84 ERA while holding opponents to a .217 batting average.I think I know what Im capable of, Davies said. I know that if Im doing the right things and executing my pitches, good things are going to happen.Over his past three starts, he has allowed just three earned runs in 20 innings. He threw seven scoreless innings against the Reds in Cincinnati on July 17, then held the Chicago Cubs to one run in 6 1/3 innings on Saturday.His first (three) starts since the break have been absolutely outstanding, Counsell said. Hes been really good. Again, its off of four pitches. Him and (catcher Jonathan Lucroy) are really in sync, and theyve really kind of got hitters on the defense and not knowing what tto look for.dddddddddddd Hes doing a nice job making pitches.Davies will go up against a Diamondbacks offense has sputtered all season yet broke out Wednesday night, riding two home runs from Yasmany Tomas to an 8-1 victory over the Brewers.Left-hander Robbie Ray will get the start for Arizona. He is 1-4 with a 4.72 ERA in his past six starts. While he did strike out a career-best 10 batters his last time out, he allowed three unearned runs in the first inning and a three-run home run to Jay Bruce in the third as Arizona went on to lose 6-1 at Cincinnati on Saturday.It was just my fastball command, Ray said afterward. Its something thats always been really good for me. I worked both sides of the plate with it tonight. I was able to keep them off balance with my curveball and my slider.Counsell wouldnt say whether or not Brewers shortstop Jonathan Villar would be back in the starting lineup Thursday. Villar is enjoying a great season at the plate, batting .297 on the year, but while he is tied for the major league lead with 36 stolen bases, he also has made some horribly-timed mistakes on the base paths. On Wednesday, he was caught trying to swipe third after a leadoff double.That gaffe, along with a pair of first-inning errors, led Counsell to pull Villar midgame.I think weve given him freedom, Counsell said. Base-stealers have to have freedom. Then there are some rules we put into place. We have to follow those rules. ' ' '