"KP [Kevin Pietersen] was destructive, probably one of the most dangerous in the world, but day in, day out, all conditions, I'd pick Gooch as the best England batsman I played against"
Tuesday 31 March 2020 19:06, UK
Australia legend Shane Warne has named our very own Nasser Hussain in his XI of the best England players he faced in his Ashes career.
Speaking on the latest Sky Cricket Podcast - which you can listen to in the player below or downloading through, iTunes, Spotify or Spreaker - Warne revealed why he picked Nasser - but Michael Vaughan as captain.
Warne - who took 708 wickets in 145 Tests with best figures of 8-71 against England in Brisbane in 1994 - said: "I tried to think about who had the biggest impact on some of those series and that's the reason I went with Nasser.
"Although we all love mocking him, his 207 at Edgbaston [in 1997] was a fantastic innings.
"He had a couple of other unbelievable innings as well but to set the tone in the first innings of an Ashes series was really good. We had a really good attack as well.
"The toughness he brought to the team and his ability against good bowlers means he made that side over a few others.
"I thought the way Vaughan captained in 2005 was very good. Yes, he had a good side to captain but I thought he did a very good job.
"I think Nasser started the turnaround for England and brought a lot to the table and stamped his authority. So it was either Nasser or Vaughany but the way Vaughany did it in 2005 got the nod for me.
"[Graham] Gooch was the best England player I played against. He was very hard to get out and I loved the way he went about it.
"KP [Kevin Pietersen] was destructive, probably one of the most dangerous in the world, but day in, day out, all conditions, I'd pick Gooch as the best.
"Not many players have that ability to drag a team with them when things are not going well or inspire them without really saying stuff but Freddie [Andrew Flintoff] had that capability, especially in '05.
"The way he batted and bowled in that series was one of the reasons England won. England were the better side and deserved to win but Freddie delivered in big moments.
"Andrew Strauss, I thought, had a better technique and was harder to get out than Marcus Trescothick, who was a little bit more dangerous but a little bit looser.
"Every time I bowled to Tres I felt that I could get him out every ball whereas I thought you had to earn Strauss' wicket a little bit more.
"I thought, watching from slip, that Strauss was a bit more organised against the quickies, so I just gave him the nod over Tres."
Also on the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast...
- How Warne swiftly went from grade cricket to international cricket with Australia
- Why he was at his best between 1992 and 1996
- Some hilarious battles he had with Carl Hooper, Nasser and Daryl Cullinan
- Some top tips for budding leg-spinners
- Why he loved playing under Mark Taylor and why Adam Gilchrist got the nod over Ian Healy for the wicketkeeping spot in the best Australia XI he played with