McCullum excited by 'world-beater' Starc

Former New Zealand Test captain Brendon McCullum admits Mitchell Starc was "too good" for him in last year's World Cup final and believes the left-armer could could one day go down as a fast-bowling great.

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Of Starc's international opponents, few have witnessed his rise from raw Test debutant to one of the most feared bowlers in the world as closely as McCullum.

At the Gabba in 2011, the then Black Caps' opener became a 21-year-old Starc's first Test victim, slashing an inswinger from around the wicket to David Warner at point.

While the quick was in and out of the side in the years that followed, he announced himself as one of the game's premier pacemen with a devastating 2015 World Cup campaign.

Confirmation of that came when he claimed the prized scalp of McCullum in the tournament's final, swinging the fifth ball of the match back in to skittle the right-hander for a duck.

"Mitchell Starc in the World Cup final, he was too good for me," McCullum told cricket.com.au.

"You can't be too proud to admit when someone's better than you: that's the beauty of the game.

"I walked off, I was content that I tried my best but Mitchell Starc on his day was too good.

"When he's on song, he's tough to play.

"He's coming from 6 foot 7 or whatever he is, he's bowling 150kph and swings the ball from the left arm."

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Starc's remarkable World Cup campaign, in which he netted 22 wickets at 10.18 to see him named player of the tournament, highlighted his lethal ability with the white ball.

And in the ensuing 12 months, he's showed he can be just as dangerous in Test cricket.

The New South Welshman was impressive in Australia's 2-0 series victory over the West Indies in the Caribbean and was Australia's leading wicket-taker during the 2015 Ashes.

But it was perhaps his lion-hearted effort under the scorching Perth sun against the Kiwis in November that's been the greatest illustration of his ability to date.

On day three of a WACA Test dominated by batsmen, Starc produced a stunningly fast spell. In the space of a few breathtaking overs, he broke the 160kph barrier, shattered McCullum's bat with a searing yorker and had both the tourists' captain and Ross Taylor (on 137) dropped behind the wicket.

McCullum doesn't include Starc, now with 25 Tests to his name, in the top echelon of fast bowlers he faced during his career only because longevity is a prerequisite to make his list.

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But 34-year-old, who retired from international cricket in February, sees no reason why Starc, if he continues to produce spells like the one in Perth, can't join the likes of Mitchell Johnson, Glenn McGrath and co among the finest fast bowlers of his generation.

"There have been guys who have had an impact for a short periods of time and that's why I can't wait to see Mitchell Starc's development over the next few years," McCullum said.

"Because if he keeps doing what he's done for a period of time, then that puts him in that category (amongst the best bowlers in the world)."

"A guy like Mitchell Johnson did it for 13 years, (as did) Brett Lee in his pomp, Jason Gillespie, Glenn McGrath.

"Jimmy Anderson with the Dukes ball, Stuart Broad as well – they've done it for a long, long period of time.

"Mitchell Starc's got huge skills, and I'm not being disrespectful when I say it, but I think those others guys have had a bigger impact for longer."

Having recovered from an ankle injury sustained in the Adelaide day-night Test against New Zealand last summer, Starc looms as a crucial figure in Australia's bid to maintain their No.1 Test ranking over the next 12 months.

Their next assignment in the longest format is the three-Test Qantas Tour of Sri Lanka beginning in July, before a home summer featuring South Africa and Pakistan.

An intriguing tour of India follows in February, where Test strips have notoriously offered little to touring fast bowlers.

But with his combination of height, pace and movement through the air, Starc has demonstrated the ability to be a threat on the most lifeless of surfaces.

"When he's bowling as well as what he can, he's a complete world-beater," McCullum said. "The challenge for Mitch, which we've seen over the last year or so, is that consistency.

"But I think he's gotten bigger, he's gotten faster and I think he's understood his skills a little more over the last little while.

"So the next couple of years will be really interesting, especially to see how he comes back from this injury.

"It's good for the game when he's playing and at his best, because there aren't too many commodities like him."