Wynne Gray: Nine's Pup comes up with howler

Michael Clarke is well off the mark. Photo / AAP

Gaffes are an occupational hazard in the cricket commentary box.

Classy operators behind the Australian microphone such as Alan McGillivray, Richie Benaud and Jim Maxwell made fewer slip-ups than others yet no one is immune from making mistakes of fact, judgment and observation during live commentary.

If you commentate for long enough mistakes will happen but the best simply do it less.

Today's Australian television box is laden with former test players from an original, Bill Lawry, to the shiny new career for Michael "Pup" Clarke with a mixture of talent in between.

They are asked to bring their knowledge and some verve to their observations yet often sound like a collection of company lifers.

Australia's Ashes dominance is providing the flag-waving for those who live in the sunburned country while the sun may have melted much more when it allowed a start to the final test at the SCG.

Talk in the Nine Network commentary box moved into discussion about Steve Smith's remarkable run at the crease during this series and where he sat on a list of greats in the game.

There were widespread salutes to his impact during this series and the way his game has flourished in the last four years. He's tucked into the gold class category for averages and records along with Graeme Pollock, George Headley, Herbert Sutcliffe and Adam Voges who all averaged above 60.

There's one other who stands like the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbour - the incomparable Don Bradman. At least I thought his feats were unique and would never be matched with his 99.94 average a third better than Smith who is next best at a tick over 63.

Bradman's played on wickets which could be harshly affected by weather and included the spiteful Bodyline series and his dominance was undeniably so much superior than anyone before or after him.

However, the sun must have found its way through the louvres in the SCG commentary box where Clarke suggested if Smith kept up his current form he would challenge Bradman as the best batsman in the history of the game.

Has Clarke made a 2018 resolution to say something preposterous or has he made an outrageous bet with someone because even for a jingoistic Aussie, that comment is ripe.

Smith is having a magnificent season and is building all sorts of records with his style which is remarkably effective but hardly graceful. Elegance at the crease has to be part of the potpourri of ingredients when discussing batting greats which is why Sachin Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakkara should be added to the discussion.

No matter how effective or graceful any of them are or become, Bradman will forever be the undisputed king of the crease.