Warne names the best batsmen he bowled to

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Lara and Warne are two of the greats of the modern game
Australian spin legend Shane Warne has revealed the best batsmen he bowled to during his career, selecting one from each of the nine other Test playing nations.

As part of his commentary duties for Sky Sports 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 unsurprisingly named Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara as his picks from India and West Indies respectively, while Graham Gooch got the nod as England's No.1 ahead of the likes of Kevin Pietersen and Alastair Cook.

Warne 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 rounded out the list.


The raw statistics (Test cricket only) support most of Warne's picks, but still reveal some surprising results.


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 somewhat 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).
Houghton, who played 22 Tests between 1992 and 1997, never played a Test against Australia.

Warne's Best
  • 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

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