Cook not ‘as good as anyone, barring Bradman’

We've all heard some outlandish quotes in our time, and not just from Warwickshire stars during the mid-90s.

But Brendon McCullum was forced to hastily backtrack after 'bigging up' Alastair Cook to such an extent that he left reporters, and his opposite number, utterly stunned.

The New Zealand captain said that, on current form, Cook is as good as anyone who has played the noble game after Sir Donald Bradman. With a straight face.

"He's obviously a genius batsman, his record is testament to that," McCullum said of Cook. "Where he is at in his career at the moment, he's as good as anyone who has played the game, probably barring Bradman."

It is extremely rare that any current player's name is uttered in the same sentence as the great man, but the reaction to McCullum's statement has been surprisingly mixed: was this a simply absurd view, a slight overstatement, or a logical assessment given the upward trajectory of a very fine player's blossoming career?

Cowers, clearly, believes that the Black Caps skipper must have either lost a bet with team-mates eager to see him embarrass himself publicly, or had his isotonic spiked.

Cook, who scored his 24th Test hundred in Dunedin, has very impressive statistics to back up his enormous talent, but a cursory glance down the list below puts the hype in some kind of context.

Okay, so he has been pretty good of late. This season alone, Cook has scored four centuries in five overseas Tests, and he enjoyed a quite spectacularly successful series in India to back up his formidable record away from home.

But comparisons to Bradman? Stating that he is best batsman since the great man? No.

The Don ended his career with the immortal average of 99.94, having established his eternal status as the greatest batsman to have ever played the game. But there are other very distinguished players in the history of the game besides just Bradman.

The redoubtable Graeme Pollock (60.97) features next on the all-time Test averages list, with the brilliant George Headley (60.83) at number three, to name but two players who very much deserve to be where they are in the context of truly great batsmen.

As for the current crop of players in Test cricket, Kumar Sangakkara is highest on the list with an average of 56.54, with Jacques Kallis (56.10) just behind the talismanic Sri Lankan.

Cook's current Test average of 49.60 sees him assume 40^th spot on the averages list, and his astonishing recent form has seen that figure constantly rise, series after series.

The England captain is currently sat just below Denis Compton (50.06), while contemporaries AB de Villiers, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Younis Khan, Michael Clarke, Jacques Kallis and Sachin Tendulkar all boast superior averages too.

Cook's response to McCullum's lavish praise was to rather sheepishly refute the suggestions, before awkwardly moving to compliment his opposite number in return with a similarly outrageous and misplaced use of the word 'genius'.

"It's very nice of him to say that. I'm not quite sure where he's got that from. You could talk about his genius batting. The way he hits the ball sometimes." No. No you couldn't, really.

It may have been a slightly bizarre statement from a player only looking to simply compliment his fellow captain after having been asked a leading question, but the hyperbole is not helpful for Cook or for any other current player.

Only time will tell whether the prolific 28-year-old is able to break every record going and leave his name amongst the true greats, but in the immediate future he will be looking to respond after a sluggish 17 against an impotent New Zealand attack on day one in Wellington.

Cricket always has a way of crushing hype when it is misplaced; the ever-modest Cook will just be happy for statements regarding his perceived greatness to be saved for when his career has been given a chance to fully mature.

Highest ever Test match batting averages

What did you make of McCullum's verdict on Cook, and do you think he will become one of the true greats of the game? Post your views below...