Shane Warne excludes himself in all-time Ashes XI, names Aussie batsman as captain

There have been some great players who have competed in Ashes Tests and Shane Warne did the tough job of selecting a few from the two countries to form a team consisting of such world-class cricketers.

Former Australia spinner Shane Warne picked a combined greatest Ashes XI during a live video chat on popular social networking app Instagram. With no international or domestic cricket going on due to the coronavirus pandemic, former and current cricket stars are keeping themselves busy by engaging with fans on social media.

Shane Warne picks all-time Ashes XI(Getty Images)

Warne hosted an Instagram live video session where he assembled a team comprising of top England and Australian players, who competed in Ashes Test series over the years.

There have been some great players who have competed in Ashes Tests and Warne did the tough job of selecting a few from the two countries to form a team consisting of world-class cricketers.

Former Australia hard-hitter Matthew Hayden and former England captain Graham Gooch take up the role of openers in Warne’s team. Both scored close to 9000 runs respectively in the longest format and justify their positions in the team.

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting takes up his favourite No.3 spot. His batting credentials were second to none while his leadership skills were also among the best. After Ponting, comes Mark Waugh, who is regarded as one of the most explosive batsmen in the history of Test cricket.

Former England talisman Kevin Pietersen was a big-match customer and played pivotal roles in England’s multiple Test victories in the Ashes. Warne handed over the reins of the team to Allan Border, who scored more than 11000 runs during his illustrious career.

Adam Gilchrist was named as the designated wicket-keeper in the side while Andrew Flintoff was picked as the all-rounder. Who could forget the latter’s all-round efforts in the 2005 edition of the Ashes.

Warne picked former spinner Tim May ahead of himself as the lone spinner in the side. Despite him picking 195 wickets in 36 Ashes Tests, Warner opted for May, who scalped 75 wickets in 24 matches in his entire Test career.

Former England pacer Darren Gough and former Australia speedster Glenn McGrath form the pace attack along with Flintoff in the side.

Warne’s combined Ashes XI: Matthew Hayden, Graham Gooch, Ricky Ponting, Mark Waugh, Kevin Pietersen, Allan Border, Andrew Flintoff, Adam Gilchrist, Tim May, Darren Gough, Glenn McGrath