Shane Warne names his pick for best batsman from each country

Published - 24 Jul 2016, 15:49 IST | Updated - 24 Jul 2016, 15:49 IST

2 Min Read

Back in the day, Shane Warne had gained the reputation of being the ‘King of Spin’. Although he had conceded that not being a fast bowler put him at somewhat of a disadvantage at the time, Warne has been perhaps one of the most intimidating bowlers of his time. His mammoth 619 wickets amassed in a Test career spanning slightly less than 20 years.

In a video posted on his official Facebook page in collaboration with Sky Sports, Warne took a quick stroll down memory lane and singled out some of the best batsmen he had ever faced during his illustrious cricketing career. the former leg-spinning legend also picked Sachin Tendulkar as his premier on-field opponent citing the right-hander’s adaptability.

Warne quipped, “To me, Sachin was the best batsman of my generation. A wonderful player all round – too fast, bowlers, spinners, in all conditions. Navjot Singh Sidhu was one of the most violent players of spin bowling and used to whack you out of the park. So, he was another good player from India against spinners.”

Moving on from India to arch-rivals England, Warne singled out Graham Gooch as perhaps the best player ever produced by England. Gooch was almost in the twilight of his career when Warne began his career.

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From the West Indies, the 46-year old singled out Brian Lara as the best he has bowled to, adding that the former Windies skipper was a great player and a good friend.

Warne enthused, “Arguably, some people think (Lara was) better than Tendulkar. And at times, he probably was. But, he definitely was the best left-hander of my time. If you needed someone to win 400 on the last day of a Test match, you probably want Lara to bat for you. Great player and a good friend.”