I am not involved in Taylor's removal - B McCullum
Newly-appointed New Zealand cricket captain Brendon McCullum bristled at suggestions he had a hand in removing predecessor Ross Taylor and dismissed talk of a rift as "media hype" on Saturday.
Taylor rejected an offer to keep the reins of the test team after his removal as limited over captain, a move local media linked to his soured relations with head coach Mike Hesson.
The disgruntled batsman has also opted out of New Zealand's tour of South Africa under McCullum, who is now in charge of the team in all three formats.
McCullum said he had no role in captaincy decision.
