Chandigarh: From evicting batsmen, Angus Fraser is now churning out columns and is among the more widely read back in the UK. The former England quick was, of course, much better than what his figures (177 wickets in 46 Tests; 47 in 42 ODIs) suggest. Fraser, who played for a decade from 1989, spoke to The Telegraph on Thursday evening.

The following are excerpts

On not having played as much as he deserved to

(Laughs) Well... I made my debut in the 1989 Ashes at home and had an uninterrupted run till a hip problem kept me out of the game for 18 months or so... As a result, my action did change, but I was never prepared to accept that I was a lesser bowler... Of course, some people did put a question mark against my name... That I’d lost pace etc... Fact is I then began to go through cycles of playing and, then, not being picked for a long time. I’m not bitter, but it was frustrating... I would have been happier had I played another 18-20 Tests and finished with 70-80 wickets more... I would have made a bigger impact.

On his idols

Changed from time to time... As a kid, I idolised Dennie Lillee... I wanted to bowl like him... Then, when I started playing as a pro (for Middlesex), I wanted to bowl like Richard Hadlee... Everybody goes through these phases... Later, I admired Curtley Ambrose and Glenn McGrath.

On the one stand-out performance of his

As a team, we under-achieved in the 1990s... England could have done much, much better... But, yes, there were some great moments ? one being our win in Barbados, in 1993-94, when I took eight for 75 in the first innings. I regard that as the highlight of my career.

On India’s current crop of new ball bowlers

The scene has changed rather dramatically... After the last World Cup (2003), I’d imagined the two left-armers, Ashish Nehra and Zaheer Khan, would serve India for long... Yet, Nehra is out and Zaheer isn’t in either... Then, (Lakshmipathy) Balaji surfaced... Nobody has really been around for too long...

On the ones he has seen (seniority-wise)

Irfan Pathan: He’s among the most exciting cricketers... In the last 15-16 years, we’ve had entertainers like Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Shane Warne... And the question is: who in the future? Pathan has what it takes to be a performer and entertainer... Technically, Pathan won’t get the bounce as he isn’t very tall, but he swings it nicely and I like his aggression... He looked the Australians in the eye in his debut series (2003-04) and I really liked what I saw of him... Pathan had a short stint with Middlesex last year and I know the County is interested in a long-term relationship with him... (After a pause) He’s not a gambler, but keeps experimenting... You’ve got to do that in the sub-continent... Try and get the reverse swing going and try to bowl a different line.

Sreesanth: I was impressed by him on his Test debut (Nagpur)... Has a beautiful seam position as the ball comes down... He, too, swings the ball and is a bit of a hustler-bustler... He has got a bit about him... It’s disappointing that illness made him miss the second Test... My belief is that the Sreesanths would do better if they had a father-figure on the field, somebody like a Jawagal Srinath... Somebody to bounce ideas off... Sadly, Srinath is now part of the Media! (After a pause) The best bowlers are the ones most consistent. So, Sreesanth should strive for consistency.

Munaf Patel: Has a nice, smooth action and decent pace... The more he bowls, the better he will be.

On whether India need a fast bowling coach

Wouldn’t be a bad idea... I do know that England have gained by having somebody working exclusively with the fast bowlers. Bowlers have a language of their own and it helps when somebody from the support staff talks like them... I improved working with somebody like Geoff Arnold.

On his No. 1 Indian

I always had a soft spot for Srinath... He was my type... Hit the deck hard, swung the ball, too... He was very unlucky, though, as batsmen often played and missed...

On the challenge for India

To have a pool of five good seamers... They can then be rotated, particularly when there’s a series with three Tests back-to-back ? like this one.

On whether he has ever been invited by the England team management to speak to the quicks

Once... Before the 2003-04 tour of the West Indies, where I consistently did well... However, I’m not the sort to poke my nose... I’m around if somebody wishes to bounce ideas off me, if somebody wants to pick my brain...

On whether he envies the back-up support available to the present generation

I wouldn’t say envy, but the ECB’s central contracts is making a difference... I’m confident my international career would have been longer had the contracts been in place in my time... I would then have had breaks between appearances for England, instead of having to rush off for County commitments immediately after a Test.

On never having played in the subcontinent

It’s a hole in my career... An empty space in my CV... I would have struggled in Pakistan, but would have accepted the challenge of wickets in India... There’s certainly more life here (in India)... I would have come with Graham Gooch in 1992-93, but that’s when I had that hip injury.

On whether he hated bowling to anybody

Not hated... Yet, the ultimate challenge was bowling to Lara.

On whether he sledged

(Laughs again) Never planned on doing so, but if I did, it was out of frustration... Nothing else... Sledging wasn’t part of my approach.

On his advice to young new ball bowlers

It’s a cliche, but fast bowling is a tough job... Still, enjoy it... Enjoy the challenges... Challenge yourself...

Finally, on the speed factor

Sure makes a difference if your strike bowler bowls at 88 mph and not 80... The McGraths have shown that speed isn’t everything, but then not many have the accuracy of a McGrath... Speed counts.