Former Australia batsman Michael Hussey has included Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis, Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel his ‘Best Enemies XI’ in Test-match cricket.

Hussey, who represented the Baggy Greens on 79 occasions in red-ball cricket, was speaking on The Unplayable Podcast when he made the lineup, in what is presumably the best players he played against in his Test career spanning eight years.

The four former Proteas’ stars were all on hand to claim a historic Test-series victory in Australia back in 2008-09 before backing that up with another series triumph in 2012, where Hussey struck back-to-back centuries in the first and second matches in Brisbane and Adelaide.

READ: High praise for Smith from Steyn

‘Mr Cricket’ admitted, though, he was close to selecting AB de Villiers as well but in the end settled for Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara due to his consistency in the longer format of the game.

‘I wrestled with this one between Kumar Sangakkara, MS Dhoni and AB de Villiers. But I think the latter two have got more impact in the shorter formats, T20s and ODIs. Sangakkara had immense impact in Test cricket,’ Hussey said.

Hussey was part of the Proteas coaching staff for a short stint during the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

Other players include India trio Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli, West Indies great Brian Lara, England quick James Anderson and Sri Lanka’s spin star, Muttiah Muralitharan.

Hussey’s Best of Enemies XI: Virender Sehwag, Graeme Smith, Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Jacques Kallis, Kumar Sangakkara, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, James Anderson, Muttiah Muralitharan.

Photo: Gallo Images