My list of favourites is an eclectic mix of players from all eras and some, including a few home grown favourites, who have given me great pleasure to watch over the last twenty years. There have been bigger names to play for the county such as Imran Khan, Kapil Dev and Glenn McGrath but those I have chosen were great local favourites who gave their all for the county. India's Khan or Graham Dilley? I opted for the modest but popular Zaheer Khan who revived his flagging international career with a sequence of outstanding performances at New Road. Nothing helps to make a ground buzz more than when overseas players parade their talents and I have opted for a couple of "dashers" to complete my selection.

My best XI

1. Glenn Turner: Turner made his mark on the scene with the club and one of New Zealand's and Worcestershire's most prolific batsmen. He played 41 Tests and could have played more had he not made himself unavailable for several seasons after falling out with the selectors. At Worcestershire, where he played from 1967-1982, his ambition and single-mindedness saw him amass 34,346 runs including 103 centuries and he is one of only two players (the other being Graeme Hick) since the Second World War to score 1000 first- class runs before the end of May. A fluent strokemaker and imaculately straight- playing opening bat, Turner could be stubborn and described as slow but he said he was so intent on success he did not allow himself to play aggressively.

2. Don Kenyon: A towering figure in the club's history, the Wordsley born Kenyon served the county between 1946 and 1967 making a record 34,490 runs (34.18). Most memorably he was captain when at long last Worcestershire won the County Championship in 1964 and retained the title in 1965.They also reached two Gillette Cup finals in the 1960s, but were unsuccessful in both. Renowned for his cover-drive and sweet timing on the leg side, Kenyon played eight Tests for England between 1951-52 and 1955. His poor Test record is usually attributed to a failing temperament at the top level although he did register a top score of 87 against South Africa at Trent Bridge in 1955. He became an England selector in 1965, and ironically was involved in the shambles over the D'Oliveira affair. He later served as president of the club.

3. Graeme Hick: Few players have divided opinion like Hick who arrived on the international scene in 1991 with 57 first-class hundreds to his name. Described as a flat track bully by the present New Zealand coach John Bracewell there was no doubt he could murder county attacks but at Test level he was vulnerable to the short pitched ball and could be mentally fragile as the Australia paceman Merv Hughes will testify. A brilliant fielder at second slip, he won 65 Test caps and made 120 one-day international appearances. What isn't in doubt are his awesome performances for Worcesetershire where he remains a firm favourite and idolised by the youngsters. He has made 134 centuries and became the sixteenth batsman to reach 40,000 first-class runs earlier this season.

4. Basil D'Oliveira: For all the wrong reasons "Dolly" was for a time one of the famous Test cricketers in the world. He emigrated to England from Cape Town in 1960, joining Worcestershire in 1964 but it was his omission from an England touring party to South Africa that led to the country's 25-year long spell in the sporting wilderness, ending only with the fall of apartheid. A stylish all-rounder he played in 44 Tests and scored five centuries although he could well have added to this tally had he been younger - he was 33 when he was played his first full championship season. Revered at Worcestershire, where his son Damien also played, the interest in his remarkable story never wanes and he will be forever remembered by the stand named in his honour. He stopped playing for the county in 1980 having scored 19,490 first-class runs and taken 551 wickets.

5. Tom Graveney: After leaving Gloucestershire and joining Worcesteshire in 1961, the Northumberland born Graveney revived his England career and played a pivitol role in the county's fortunes for the next ten years. During a fruitful period he scored 13,169 runs and contributing to his career batting average of 44.91. he earned his first Test cap in 1951 against South Africa but after some unfortunate early dismissals his career foundered for a while. His form at Worcester earned him a recall in 1966, aged 39, and he went on to play 79 Tests and scored 11 centuries. Alongside D'Oliveira, the pair earned widespread recognition and respect.

6. Ian Botham: It might be fair to say that Somerset's loss was Worcestershire's gain and after the all-rounder joined the county in 1987 after his well publicised spat with Somerset "Beefy" took no time in proving himself to be one of the county's great players. He spent four seasons at New Road and if he is arguably England's best ever all-rounder, he could certainly lay claim to the accolade at Worcester. Relishing the atmosphere at his new county, he was part of the Championship winning teams of 1988 and 1989 and in his last season in 1991, they triumphed in the Benson & Hedges Cup. Often controversial in his personal life, he was knighted this summer for his extraordinary services to charity. But he will always be remembered for his amazing heroics in the 1981 Ashes series, not to mention the 102 Tests, 116 One-Day internationals and his 383 Test wickets.

7. Steve Rhodes: The young Yorkshireman arrived at New Road in 1985 after struggling to get in to the first team in his native county ahead of David Bairstow. Stocky, yet athletic he served the club with great determination and consistency for two decades. He played 11 Tests but was dropped because the selectors felt he didn't contribute enough with the bat, although he will look back fondly on the day he caught three of Devon Malcolm's nine victims in the famous 1994 Oval Test against South Africa. He has proved to be a highly rated head coach since he took over from Tom Moody in 2005.

8. Norman Gifford: It was Gifford's misfortune to be around at the same time as Tony Lock and Derek Underwood otherwise the left-arm spinner may have played many more than 15 Tests for England. However, while in and out of the England team he turned in exceptional performances for Worcestershire during his spell from 1963 to 1982 and was another player instrumental in their championship-winning success. Between 1963 and 1968 he averaged under 20 with the ball every season and in 1968 took his career-best figures against Yorkshire of eight for 28, albeit in a losing cause. Never much of a batsman, he made only three half-centuries in 805 innings, and when he retired in his forties after ending his career at Warwickshire he had taken 2,068 first-class wickets.

9. Roly Jenkins: For 21 years between 1938 and 1958 Roly Jenkins, who was born in Worcester, was one of the great leg-break and googly bowlers. Never short of something to say he loved nothing more than to talk about his beloved cricket and in retirement could often be seen strolling round the boundary at New Road. He made his Test debut against South Africa at Durban in 1948-49 going on to play in a further eight Tests.

10. Reg Perks: Perks only played two Tests for England but he was the mainstay of Worcestershire's bowling for a long period from the middle 1930's until the mid 1950's. He was also an aggressive left-handed tailend slogger, and on three occasions hit three sixes of successive balls. He also holds the record for the most ducks in a first-class career, with 156. Having established himself in the team he was an incredibly hard working pace bowler often bowling around 1000 overs a year. Chosen for the tour to South Africa in1938-39 he played in the last Test, the famous "Timeless Test", doing well in the first inings with five for 100 on an extremely docile wicket. Inspired by the experience he had his best ever season in 1939 but just when he was on the verge of becoming an England regular, the Second World War intervened.

11. Jack Flavell: Born in Wall Heath, Staffordshire, Flavell signed for Worcestershire in 1949 and soon earned a reputation as a tearaway fast bowler with an over long run-up. Nicknamed "Mad Jack", he soon the length of his run up and became one of the outstanding bowlers in county cricket. He took 100 wickets in a season eight times and played four Tests but he was competing against pace bowlers of the quality of Fred Trueman, Brian Statham, Frank Tyson, Peter Loader, Alan Moss and all-rounder Trevor Bailey. Together with Len Coldwell he was part of one of the best new-ball pairings when Worcestershire won two Championship titles and finished second twice.He played professional football and was a rugged defender for West Bromwich Albion and Walsall.

My favourite XI

1. R.E. "Tip" Foster: Born in Malvern, he was one of the greatest sporting talents, winning Blues at Oxford in cricket, football, racquets and golf. He captained England at football and cricket and was Worcestershire captain in 1900. He led England in three Tests against South Africa in 1907 and his 287 for England at Sydney in 1903-04 is still the highest maiden Test innings. His first-class career stretched from 1897 to 1912. His six brothers all played for the county which was known as "Fostershire" but Tip was to die young young, aged 36, of diabetes before insulin was introduced.

2. Vikram Solanki: He may be a relative new kid on the block but as Worcestershire's captain since 2005 and an elegant batsman who is delightful to watch in full flight Solanki has made a great mark. Arriving as a 16 year old, he has fulfilled his promise to a degree and despite scoring heavily for the county has not always performed for England. He remains on the periphery of the international set up although he is young enough to force his way back in to contention with his all-round cricketing skills. As a captain he is approachable and honest and is in the process of moulding a decent squad around him.

3. Graeme Hick: I couldn't leave a fellow Zimbabwean out of my line up and although we were all dismayed when he chose to re-qualify and represent England it proved to be the correct choice. His awesome record for Worcesteshire where he has just signed for a 25th season emphasises his loyalty and besides his considerable batting feats he is also a useful off spinner and superb slip fielder.

4. Ron Headley: Born in Kingston, Jamaica life was never going to be easy following his legendary father, George but he nontheless managed to pursue a successful career. The first Worcestershire batsman to reach 1000 Sunday league runs, Headley was a left-hand batsman and leg-break bowler who hit more than 20,000 runs and 32 hundreds for the county after joining in 1958 and was a key member of the Championship winning sides in 1964 and 1965.

5. Nawab of Pataudi: Iftikhar Ali Khan (the senior Nawab of Pataudi) is the only Test cricketer to have played both for India and England. Educated in Lahore and Balliol College, Oxford he played most of his matches for Worcestershire in 1933 and 1934. He made the England party for the 1932-33 Bodyline series but disagreed with the tactics of Douglas Jardine and returned home before the end of the tour. In 1936 he was appointed India captain ahead of the tour of England but withdrew claiming he wasn't fully fit, before finally leading an India team ten years later when he was past his prime. He died aged 41 of a heart attack whilst playing polo.

6. Tom Moody: Literally, a colossus in the team during the 1990s and nicknamed "Long" Tom Moody as he stands at 6ft 6in. The Australian arrived from Warwickshire in the 1991 season and nothing gave county supporters greater pleasure than when Moody put one over on his old club following Worcestershire's crushing eight-wicket victory in the final of the 1994 NatWest Trophy. The all-rounder was an aggressive batsman and handy medium pace bowler using his height to great effect. In 1991 he scored 1387 A List runs, a county record. He went on to captain the team between 1995-99 and following his retirement with a back injury became Director of Coaching where he steered the county back to the top flight in 2003 and led them to successive C&G Trophy finals at Lords.

7. Phil Neale: Under Neale's captaincy Worcestershire enjoyed one of their most successful eras winning one-day trophies, championships and attracting big names into the county's ranks. A former professional football player with Lincoln City and Scunthorpe United, he played alongside Ian Botham and used the friendship to help to persuade "Beefy" to join the club when he fell out with Somerset. Club captain from 1982-1991 he passed a thousand runs eight times in 15 seasons as he led the team to the Sunday League title in 1987 and 1988 and back-to-back County Championship titles in 1988 and 1989.

8. David Humphries: "Humpty" as he was affectionately known was a fixture in the side for nine seasons before Steve Rhodes took over the gloves. His return of 287 first-class catches and 59 stumpings, not to mention his four centuries were achieved despite his battle to keep his weight down and because of his bulk he was never the most athletic of 'keepers. But he was another entertaining player to watch, a left hand batsman who could give it a real thump and he too was pretty much a local lad, born in Alveley, Shropshire.

9. Phil Newport: You can't help feeling that if Newport had played for a more fashionable county he might have added to the three Test caps he won between 1988 and 1991. His superb performances in 1988 laid the foundations for Worcestershire's triumph in the County Championship and he was again in great form the following year. The only problem was that Steve Waugh pummelled him round Headingley when he played his second Test and he missed the rest of the title-winning summer with an Achilles tendon injury. He might not have been a massive success for England but you always knew he would prove to be utterly reliable for Worcestershire and whilst he had the ball in his hand there was a great chance he would make the breakthroughs.

10. John Inchmore: Everyone who knows "Inchers" has a story to tell and from 1973 to 1986 he was one of the most reliable seam bowlers the county ever had. He came from Steve Harmison country, Ashington in Northumberland, and was tall and well built and a great favourite with regulars to New Road. His 510 first-class wickets came with an average of 28.97 and he only ever scored one century when he was promoted as nightwatchman against Essex in 1974. Of all the stories about him, Chris Oldnall, of the Worcester Evening News, tells the one about how guitarist Eric Clapton once nearly missed a lucrative tour of Japan when he broke his hand attemtping to take a catch off a short pitched delivery from Inchmore.

11. Zaheer Khan: As county debuts go, Zaheer's was pretty spectacular and his ten wickets against Somerset was a feat few will forget. The left-arm pace bowler has the ability to swing the ball both ways making him a dangerous opponent as England discovered to their cost in the Second Test at Trent Bridge. He also very nearly became the first bowler to take all ten wickets for Worcestershire when he ended with nine for 138 against Essex - after wicketkeeper Steven Davies had dropped last man Darren Gough. More than capable with the bat he has rescued the county on a few occasions and his batting achievements include holding the record for the highest Test score by a No 11 when he scored 75 for India v Bangladesh in Dhaka, 2004.