1. RICHARD HADLEE

New Zealand (1978-87)
Hadlee was the best bowler I’ve seen in county cricket and he turned himself into a world-class performer during the period he was at Notts. He arrived as a bit of a tearaway and went away as a very skilful bowler, and a much-improved batsman as well.

I was playing when he did the double (1,000 first-class runs and 100 wickets) in 1987. It was a remarkable achievement and planned down to the last number. He worked out that he would get 60 wickets at home and 40 wickets away, and he would score 400 runs at home and 600 runs away, because our pitches were fairly seamer-friendly. He kept the plan in the lid of his kit bag. He was very methodical in his planning.

2. CLIVE RICE

South Africa (1975-87)
Clive was an inspirational captain for a number of years and a great all-rounder. Notts were a pretty desperate team in the late 70s but he moulded them into a very good side that won Championships and one-day trophies. He did that by setting a great example and inspiring the players around him. He was the sort of captain you wanted to play for and impress.

3. DAVID HUSSEY

Australia (2004-13)
Garry Sobers was the world’s best cricketer but I’m not sure he was the world’s best cricketer for Notts. And Franklyn Stephenson did the double the year after Hadlee, but he wasn’t here for long. So I’ve gone for David Hussey.

He arrived as an uncapped Australian player, straight out of state cricket, and was recommended to me by Steve Waugh through Gunn & Moore. I signed him in 2004 having never seen him play and he was part of the club for the next 10 years. His stats are outstanding (6,312 first-class runs at 61 and almost 4,000 runs in limited-overs cricket) and he was a rarity in this century as an overseas player who kept coming back year after year.