AB de Villiers Picks 'This' Pakistan Cricketer to Bowl For His Life?

image-lfjihfbyABD picks Mohammad Asif as his favourite bowler [Twitter]

Former South Africa captain, AB de Villiers, has expressed his admiration for Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Asif, stating that he would choose the right-arm seamer as the bowler to bowl for his life.

De Villiers, who is widely recognized as one of the best batsmen of his generation, faced Asif on several occasions during his career and acknowledged the difficulties he encountered while playing against him.

"Mohammad Asif...uff!! That guy with the new ball unplayable," de Villiers said in the podcast.

The former captain's comments came during a rapid-fire round on his podcast in which he was asked to pick a bowler he would want to bowl for his life. De Villiers' choice of Asif reflects the level of difficulty he faced while batting against him. In fact, the former batter, in his autobiography, had also mentioned how Asif had troubled him during Pakistan’s tour to South Africa in 2006-07 where he had taken his wicket twice in a Test

Asif, who represented Pakistan in 23 Tests and 38 ODIs, was known for his exceptional seam and swing bowling skills. The 40-year-old bagged 106 wickets in Tests and 46 in ODIs. In addition to that, the veteran speedster also played 11 T20Is where he grabbed 13 wickets.

Despite the bowler’s impressive record, his career was marred by controversy related to his involvement in a spot-fixing scandal in 2010.