McCullum has high praise for Cook

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Alastair Cook famously rarely sweats, but he did blush a little today when Brendon McCullum described him as a “genius”, second only to Don Bradman.

Whether it was mind games - or good, old honest respect for the opposition - McCullum perhaps elevated even the admirable Cook above his station, as their respective England and New Zealand teams completed preparations for the second Test in Wellington.

Cook, already out on his own as England’s most prolific Test centurion, followed a rare first-innings failure in Dunedin last week with a 24th format hundred to help complete the tourists’ fightback and secure a draw.

Asked today how the Black Caps can hope to dismiss Cook in the remainder of this series, McCullum thought long and hard before delivering an unexpected eulogy.

“I think we bowled reasonably well to Cooky the other day,” he said. “He’s obviously a genius batsman - his record is testament to that. Where he is at in his career at the moment, he’s as good as anyone who has played the game - probably barring Bradman.”

Speaking of Cook, Brendon McCullum unexpectedly said today: “He’s obviously a genius batsman - his record is testament to that."

Cook, who said England cannot afford another slow start, is in his prime at 28 - and his aversion to unforced errors makes him a formidable opening batsman.

“He’s enjoying the captaincy as well and leading from the front,” said McCullum. “We just have to bowl areas where we think we can dismiss him. If he’s good enough to overcome that, then so be bit - and you move on to Plan B.”

Bradman’s unfortunate opponents doubtless went through many of the same thought processes, to very little avail. But McCullum’s high praise for Cook still does not quite stack up.

The England captain’s average of 49.60 is just under half Bradman’s peerless 99.94. Between the two are another 38 batsmen in Test history with higher averages than Cook’s, including eight present-day players and eight from his own country through the ages.

Among those above him, in terms of runs per innings, England’s team director Andy Flower comes in at 51.54 - while Cook’s team-mates Jonathan Trott and Kevin Pietersen are just a fraction below their captain.

It took a moment for the man himself to recover the power of speech when told how highly McCullum rates him. Cook then returned the compliment for an opponent who is no slouch himself:

“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,” Cook said.

Cook will soon have his next opportunity to demonstrate his lofty status, with the second Test set to start tomorrow - or this evening UK time - and the series level at 0-0 with two to play. When he does, he will not make the mistake of believing the hype.

Cook, left, cautiously said: "You’ve got to have a look at the wicket tomorrow morning. It changes a huge amount from 12 hours out."

“You never quite feel on top of the game,” he added. “What was pleasing for me was, after a few starts in the one-dayers here and in India but no match-winning score, I managed to get that bigger one in the first Test. I seemed to hit the ball okay.”

That characteristic understatement was just not the order of today, though - from McCullum especially, who was more than happy to confirm his team will be unchanged and that he will bowl first if he wins the toss.

“Modern-day pitches don’t tend to deteriorate too much,” McCullum said. “If there’s any advantage it’s on the first day ... I’m inclined to bowl first at the moment.”

Cook typically declined to give the slightest hint about his tactics.

“I don’t know yet, and I probably wouldn’t be telling you if I knew what I was going to do,” Cook said to the assembled media.

“As the away side, you obviously don’t know the ground as well at the opposition, so you’ve got to have a look at the wicket tomorrow morning. It changes a huge amount from 12 hours out.”

The pitch is likely to favour seamers, and Cook has confidence in his bowling attack.

“Our bowlers have been fantastic over a number of years now,” he said of a group led by James Anderson as the paceman closes on 300 Test wickets. “That’s probably been the hallmark of our success.”

It is something else too for McCullum to ponder.

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