Australian spin legend Shane Warne named the best batsmen he bowled to from each of the nine Test playing nations he faced during his career.
As part of his commentary duties during the current Test series between England and Pakistan, Warne was asked to name the best batsmen he bowled to during his decorated 15-year career.
Warne, on the expected lines, named Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara from India and West Indies respectively.
Former England batsman Graham Gooch got the nod ahead of the likes of Kevin Pietersen and Alastair Cook.
The spin great couldn't split legendary allrounder Jacques Kallis and the late Hansie Cronje as his pick from South Africa, while Martin Crowe (New Zealand), Saeed Anwar (Pakistan) and Aravinda de Silva (Sri Lanka) also made the cut.
Zimbabwe’s first Test captain David Houghton and former Bangladesh skipper Mohammad Ashraful were also mentioned.
Of all the batsmen to have played 10 or more Tests against the leg-spinner, England's Gooch has the best average, an impressive 66.16 from 11 matches.
Anwar (56.33 from six matches against Warne) and Lara (54.57 from 20 matches) also boast strong career records against the leggie, while Cronje (42.75 from 12 Tests) was statistically more successful against Warne than Kallis (36.85 from 18 Tests).
Tendulkar averages a surprising 39 in 12 matches against Warne, more than De Silva (36 from eight matches), Crowe (25 from four matches) and Ashraful (17.50 from two matches).
- Bangladesh: Mohammad Ashraful
- England: Graham Gooch
- India: Sachin Tendulkar
- Pakistan: Saeed Anwar
- New Zealand: Martin Crowe
- South Africa: Hansie Cronje/Jacques Kallis
- Sri Lanka: Aravinda de Silva
- West Indies: Brian Lara
- Zimbabwe: David Houghton
