Is Brendon McCullum the most overrated batsman out there these days?

[Mr. Wicket]

Hyped largely because of a hitting ability that only makes him a real impact player in the T20s? Discuss.

[DomainK]

The first thing I remember with that name is his superb century for KKR in the opening match of IPL season 1. That was a fantastic knock. He has a fine average and SR in T20s, but his records so far in ODI and tests have been average.

[Sooda]

Yep. IIRC his only test tons are against Zim and Banglas. Good for a brisk 30 against top oppo. But nothing more. Even in ODIs his average is less than 30 I think. edit: forgot the one he scored agasint us. odi average is 28 to be precise. tests is 31

[Mr. Wicket]

The first thing I remember with that name is his superb century for KKR in the opening match of IPL season 1. That was a fantastic knock. He has a fine average and SR in T20s' date=' but his records so far in ODI and tests have been average.[/quote'] Yes. Let us focus on the big picture and all forms of the game (particularly the more significant ones) rather than a one-off in a slog-happy circus.

[Laaloo]

Yorked on middle stump when his team was in dire straits. He was also dropped by Sanga 2 balls before. What the hell was he trying to do? Cowlash a middle stump yorker? WTF?

[vvvslaxman]

When he was not considered as a real asset as a batsman he was doing well. Moment people started taking him seriously he started showing inconsistency. May be it is mental thing. That was one of the reason why Gilly always said "My runs are bonus to team". A way of taking pressure of expectations.

[Sachinism]

When he was not considered as a real asset as a batsman he was doing well. Moment people started taking him seriously he started showing inconsistency. May be it is mental thing. That was one of the reason why Gilly always said "My runs are bonus to team". A way of taking pressure of expectations.

Opening the batting you can't think that way. If you get out early it puts pressure on the other batsmen. But I guess if they come to expect nothing from you then its a different story

[Mr. Wicket]

So McCullum can only perform when there's no pressure or expectation? Great. What a player. Then he should just be picked for dead-rubber games and promoted up the order in lost causes such as test matches against Australia, Sri Lanka, NZ and India.

[vvvslaxman]

He is a limited player with good cowlashing abilities which can pay off on a good day. But for NZ he is an important component especially in the back drop of so many players leaving the scene. He is not good at handling pressure. We could see when he led KKR.

[veer]

I would take BM for his fielding ability rather than his batting..

[DomainK]

Not his fault, is it? He may not be as good as media or we fans think he is, but that's not his mistake.

[Mr. Wicket]

So in that case, why do fans overrate McCullum so much? Do they give too much regard to his exploits in a couple of hit and giggle showcases and ignore his far-less-than-stellar performances otherwise? Are some of the fans and media unable to distinguish between a cowlasher without the maturity and discipline to succeed in test cricket, and a top quality batsman who can be effective in all formats of the game? Matt Prior, Mark Boucher, MS Dhoni, Brad Haddin and even Kamran Akmal have similarly good or far better (in most cases) records.

[DomainK]

So in that case, why do fans overrate McCullum so much? Do they give too much regard to his exploits in a couple of hit and giggle showcases and ignore his far-less-than-stellar performances otherwise? Are some of the fans and media unable to distinguish between a cowlasher without the maturity and discipline to succeed in test cricket, and a top quality batsman who can be effective in all formats of the game? Matt Prior, Mark Boucher, MS Dhoni, Brad Haddin and even Kamran Akmal have similarly good or far better (in most cases) records.

We fans are like that. We frequently hype players with one good performance (sometimes we even hype players who have not played a single competitive match is seven years). And media serves what sells.

[sangrock]

I don't think he is an overrated player - he is viewed as a destructive player, not as a consistent player. I think McCullum's innings usually satisfy the laws of runs - he does seem to score after 3-4 matches and those knocks are usually match winning. I can't seem to figure out when he has gone out of his form. Finally, the talent in the batsman also draws him a lot of fans.

[Shehezaada]

i think he's a real athletic talent. Watching him keep in the test series against India he was awesome. He should either be given the license to go buckwild, produce innings like 30/15, the occasional 50+ in 30 balls, and be expected to average around 30 with a S/R of 100+. But he has a long way to go if you want to consider him as a proper batsmen.

[Shehezaada]

I don't think he is an overrated player - he is viewed as a destructive player, not as a consistent player. I think McCullum's innings usually satisfy the laws of runs - he does seem to score after 3-4 matches and those knocks are usually match winning. I can't seem to figure out when he has gone out of his form. Finally, the talent in the batsman also draws him a lot of fans.

excellent post

[jusarrived]

one of the better WK/bat in teh world ..Hes still Underrated as a ODI/T20 player , but in tests I doubt any one actually rates him that high .

[newmanthepunter]

He sure is a automatic selection in the Nz team... He is a match winner no doubt

[Lord]

i dont think anybody rates him.he is viewed as a destructive player.n u can deny that he is destructive.yesterday he failed coz he tried to change his game.he should be allowed to play his natural game come what may

[Lord]

Yep. IIRC his only test tons are against Zim and Banglas. Good for a brisk 30 against top oppo. But nothing more. Even in ODIs his average is less than 30 I think. edit: forgot the one he scored agasint us. odi average is 28 to be precise. tests is 31

no ,he scored a ton against us wen we toured recently