1. Michael Klinger
He’s a bit of a banker for me. Mentally, Maxy was so strong and had a great technique. He gave Gloucestershire his all for a number of years. As an opener, there was no better guy to have at the other end as reassurance.
2. Craig Spearman
I crossed over with him in the seconds at the back end of his career, when he was suffering with thigh injuries. Such an attacking batsman, he just stood there and swung.
3. Kane Williamson
Kane spent two summers with us in 2011 and 2012, in my third year as a pro. He’d scored a couple of Test hundreds already by then, but still at a young age you could tell he was world-class in the way he prepared and went about things.
4. Hamish Marshall
A loyal servant to the club, he scored a lot of runs over a long period of time. Hamish was also a big influence on me and I spent a lot of time learning from him.
5. Alex Gidman
On his day Alex could score so quickly and was one of the best on the circuit. He was a good guy, I got on really well with him and felt like we were really close by the time he moved.
6. Gareth Roderick
He’s got the potential to be one of the best on the circuit, as good as that. Gareth is worth a place in the side for his batting alone and his keeping is a handy bonus.
7. Will Gidman
Will was the first name on the teamsheet when he played for us. He got 50 wickets and a 1,000 runs for us one season and was so reliable with bat and ball. A great bloke and a great person to have in the team.
8. Ryan Higgins
He’s got the potential to be a fantastic player. I haven’t played a huge amount with him but think he’s going to go far. Ryan is a really competitive character, runs in all day with the ball and can hit it really hard. Hopefully he’ll be on our team sheet for a long time.
9. Jon Lewis
We played together for two or three seasons. He was so consistent with the ball and led our attack for many years. It’s no surprise he’s now passing on his knowledge as a coach.
10. Liam Norwell
Liam has some of the best numbers in the country over the last few seasons. He’s doing his job day in day out, so it’s a shame he’s not getting a chance with England yet.
11. Muttiah Muralitharan
We had a couple of t20 stints with us. As a bowler he speaks for himself but he was almost the opposite of what I expected as a character. He was almost like a big kid, always wanting to have fun and inviting us round to his house for curries. As down-to-earth as you could have asked for.
