ISLAMABAD – South Africa’s batting maestro, Hashim Amla named Pakistan’sright-arm fast bowler Mohammad Asif as the best international bowler he hasfaced.
According to the classy right-handed batsman, Asif was the best bowler ofhis era before he was banned for being involved in spot-fixing in 2010.
“Mohammad Asif is the best one, I know Mohammad Asif got banned forspot-fixing but at that stage, he was the best fast bowler I had faced,” hesaid during an interview.
Asif was not a typical Pakistani fast bowler with tear away pace, instead,he depended on line, length and could move the ball with extreme precision.
“Mohammad Asif was not quick, 135 kph maybe, but his accuracy wasphenomenal,” he said. “He tested your defence really to the maximum.”
According to Amla, Asif was phenomenal irrespective of the surface hebowled on, he was as good in Pakistan as he was on South African tracks.
“I played against Asif in South Africa and played against him in Pakistanin 2007 and if he landed the ball on the fourth stump, I did not know if itwas nipping away or nipping in, it tested your defence really to themaximum,” he added.
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He took his point forward and revealed that when he spoke to othercricketers of that era who had faced Asif, almost all of them had the sameviews.
“Funnily enough, as years have gone by, meeting other cricketers fromaround the world and chatting with them, many of the guys have said thesame thing,” he said. “Mohammad Asif was a magician with the ball.”
Previously, the modern-day batting geniuses AB de Villiers and KevinPetersen have also named Mohammad Asif as the toughest bowler they haveever faced.
Asif has represented Pakistan in 23 Test matches, 38 ODIs and 11 T20Is,where he took 106, 46 and 13 wickets respectively.
