Shane Warne names the ‘two greatest batsmen of all time’

No spinner made quite the mark in international cricket like Shane Warne. Sure, Muttiah Muralitharan and Anil Kumble were around the same time as Warner but the way Warner floored batsmen with his magical deliveries arguably makes him the greatest spinner of all time. In the 90s, the spin trio of Warne, Muralitharan and Kumble ruled the roost and it's evident from the fact that they are the top three wicket takers in Test cricket.

Every great bowler needs an equally great batsman to thrive and headline a rivalry. For Warne, there were two – Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara – the two finest batsmen of their generation. Calling Tendulkar and Lara the two best batsmen of not only his era, but of all time, Warne revealed how he enjoyed bowling to them.

"I think, though, in my era of cricket, there were two players that stood out and that was Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara. I think those two players were the best two batsmen of my time and two of the greatest batsmen that have ever played the game," Warne told SportsKeeda in an interview.

"So I love bowling to those guys. You know, some days they'd smash me all over the park or most days, but some days I get them out too," said Warne."

Warne says he, along with Tendulkar and Lara, is grateful for the kind of rivalry shared and feels it was a privilege that the three of them could entertain fans with top-quality cricket for a good part of two decades.

"I think the three of us, you know, myself, Brian and Sachin, you know, people called us the 'Big 3'" Warne said. "But I think the three of us helped make cricket interesting, exciting and our battles over many years, you know, 20 years of playing against each other, I think people enjoyed. So hopefully that brought a lot of joy and entertainment to people."