Dream Team
Nathan Buck picks his Star XI
1. HD Ackerman HD was at Leicestershire when I was 17 and the way he went about scoring runs was amazing, he didn’t let anything get to him. He was at the end of his career and made it look very easy. He was a very good role model for me as a young player and good to watch at a young age. 2. Martin Guptill When he plays T20 and white ball he’s so destructive and he had a few good knocks for us last year and watching him on TV is unbelievable. He’s a great guy to get you off to a flyer at the top of the innings. 3. Joe Root I played with Joe from England U17s to U19s and some England Lions but obviously his record speaks for itself. He’s one of the best batsmen in the world and he’s such a nice guy, too, as a bloke he’s very down to earth. 4. James Taylor He was involved at Leicestershire when I was a lot younger until he left for Nottinghamshire. He just loves the game and worked very hard, he was a proper professional. He was an absolutely great teammate to have. 5. Brad Hodge Leicestershire’s T20 overseas back in 2010, off and on the pitch he was unbelievable. Brad’s a very friendly guy and fun to be around. He was a very animated player, too. I reckon he could still do a job in this team. 6. Shakib-al-Hasan Another overseas, he was very quiet but as a cricketer he was unbelievable. The way he always performed so consistently was something to look grind up out to. resultsHe would whethergo outit be there with and bat or ball.in your To side have is that great. sort of all-round talent 7. Ben Stokes The same as Joe Root, I played age-group stuff with Ben and he was such a normal guy. He still is but with huge success. He’s such a destructive batsman, and when you add in his bowling as well, he’d do great in this team. 8. Jos Buttler I played with him in England age-group and then for the Lions, he was like a freak at batting.We were at Worcestershire last year and he hit the fastest 50 for Lancashire with a broken thumb, an unbelievable player. 9. James Faulkner I spent huge amounts of time with him when he came over to play at Lancashire, and he’s a really good guy to be around and an unbelievable player on the pitch. He is a very unique man, though. He’s quite unusual off the pitch with some of his mannerisms and what he gets up to. 10. Matthew Hoggard He came to Leicestershire as captain when I was 19 or 20, I was with him for three years I learned a lot from him as a bowler and still keep in touch now. As a bloke he was very good and as a player just as good. For a young player coming through you couldn’t have asked for a better role model. 11. Peter Siddle He was such a professional when he came over to play at Lancashire, he got involved on and off the pitch. He’s a really good man to be around and very sharp with the ball. It’s always great to have someone like that to bowl alongside.