Pretty self explanatory. It's not the 3 best batsmen from these nations, just my personal 3 favourite batsmen to watch. Ya know, when you're chillin' on a Sunday posted up in front of the tele and one of these lads is at the crease - "Sorry Mum but Nathan Astle's batting" type of shit.

Aotearoa

Stephen Fleming - He was our skip, the leader of our nation's cricket team and the best Black Cap captain I've seen. It's a combination of his skill and tactical nous, with the style at which he scored his runs. A tall lad, he simply leaned on the ball and it went to the boundary. 

Nathan Astle - You get the feeling watching Nathan Astle bat that the bowler could be hurling golf balls at him and he'd still smack it to the boundary. Astle was an aggressor, someone who would dictate what was happening and on his day he could pick apart any attack.

Ross Taylor - King Rosco. His style is unique, a mix of his many sporting talents but the way he can come in and accumulate runs in a stylistic manner makes me happy every time. A highlight package of King Rosco would be dominated by drives, drives through the covers, drives down the ground and drives past mid on ... oh and sexy cut shots. 

Australia

Ricky Ponting - Having Ponting come in at 3 would have been a nightmare for bowlers - they nick someone out with the new ball only for the best counter attacker ever to come to the crease. He'd play a front food prod at the ball and it would be 4 runs, you'd try rough him up and he'd pull you for 6. Ponting, the most hate-able Australian to exist, but one of the very best batsmen I've ever seen.

David Warner - I love Mr Warner. While players struggle to change formats and apparent experts rip in to T20 cricket for destroying the technique's of many batsmen, Warner became on of the best test match batsmen. He can obviously give the ball a fair whack but his ability to adapt his game to test cricket has me in awe.

Michael Hussey - Glorious. Despite a late start in test cricket, Hussey has etched himself in history as one of the game's best. Impeccable knowledge of his own game - what to defend, what to leave and what to attack along with a near perfect technique made me plant my backside on the couch anytime Mr Cricket waltzed out to the middle.

South Africa

AB de Villiers - No matter the format, no matter the situation, no matter the opposition, ABDV is a threat. Weakness? Pfft. He's got all the shots, mental fortitude of an utter professional and the eye of a sporting freak.

Hashim Amla - Sublime. Just sublime. He makes batting look easy and anyone who looks like they're batting in Antarctica, is awesome #IceCold.

Jacques Kallis - The legend, Kallis was the perfect mix of brute force and technique. The fact that he could jog in and bowl 140km/h gives you an idea of his athletic ability. The fact that he averaged 55 and helped himself to 13,000+ runs means demonstrates the value he placed on his wicket and his attacking prowess.

India

VVS Laxman - The man who became known for his clutch, he was a beast in the 2nd innings and a mystical being on sub-continent wickets. Laxman reminds he of Amla, just a joy to watch and when it was his turn to take control (India had a few options back then) he would do so in such a composed yet dominating style.

Virender Sehwag - You can analyse Sehway until the cows come home, but you knew shit was about to get real with Sehwag at the crease. While many batsmen would struggle and venture back in to their cave at the sight of a new ball, Sehwag would cut it for 6.

Sachin Tendulkar - Not a whole lot to explain here, but I would just marvel at how such a wee lad could smoke a cricket ball like he did.

Pakistan

Inzaman ul Haq - If Inzi played right now he'd be the influence behind thousands of memes and gifs and vines. He was a big lad who made a bat look like a stick in his grasp, a stick that would direct the ball to the boundary. His touch and subtlety were un-matched and his ability with the bat was so good, he sucked at fielding at simply didn't give a fuck.

Mohammad Yousuf - Formerly Yousuf Yohanna, changed his name when he converted from Christianity to Islam and got a heap more runs as clear, direct result. Maybe, maybe not but he was good. He was so fluid, able to get runs against any sort of bowler and was the only Pakistani batsmen I can remember to rock the Gray Nicholls bat.

Younis Khan - How could I not? He looks like he's endured thousands of years of toil and he bats as such. Gritty and crafty but able to hit the next gear when and however he wants to.

West Indies

Brian Lara - Anyone who can play a cover drive of the back foot to a ball that requires the big front dog heading down the wicket, is awesome. Flamboyant but able to back it up with exceptional ability. He's up there with Tendulkar, but it's hard to ignore the style, the unique manner in which he smashed the ball where ever he wanted. Many batsmen have been awesome, few have been awesome in a completely individual way as Lara.

Chris Gayle - You bat how you want to bat while Chris Gayle bats how he wants to.

Shiv Chanderpaul - The trend here with these 3 lads from the West Indies is that they all bat exactly how they want to. Not how some 'expert' who has read about bio-mechanics and started an academy told them to. Chanderpaul found what worked for him and did better than half the people who follow traditional batting methods. 

England

Michael Vaughan - Classic, classical English batting. If England were playing, Vaughan was the key man and while I appreciate those who do things differently, I love a bit of typical English picket fence batting. 

Kevin Petersen - Pull shots were my enemy, so when I watch someone step towards a thunderbolt and pull it of the front foot, I admire. There was a time when any news highlight of an English cricket series would involve KP whacking boundaries with few fucks given.

Freddie Flintoff - I can't have KP without Flintoff. Flintoff was a bully and someone who could make a decent case for a spot in the top 10 all rounders ever. Just the power, the eye.

Sri Lanka

Kumar Sangakkara - A joy to watch, Sanga is equally at home on turning tracks as he is against brutish quicks. A must watch every time thanks to being so prodigious that you knew that if he and is comrade Mahela didn't go well, Sri Lanka probably wouldn't.

Mahela Jayawardene - The best late cutter of a ball, I've ever seen.

Sanath Jayasuriya - India had Sehwag, Sri Lanka had Jayasuriya. You never really knew if he was going to get runs or not, but as soon as you saw him chip the ball over the off side field with a cut shot or a drive, you knew what was up.