AB de Villiers, one of the most dominant and fearless batters in world cricket, has named a surprising pick when asked about the one bowler he never wanted to face during the early days of his international career.

 

In a recent appearance on Subhankar Mishra’s YouTube podcast, the host asked, “Was there a bowler who troubled you so much that you hoped, I wish this bowler doesn't come to bowl to me?”

 

To this, AB de Villiers responded candidly, “I think the Pakistani magician Muhammad Asif, when I was younger. I mean, to be fair to myself, I wasn't really comfortable with my own technique at that time. I had some flaws. I was taking the bat behind my back.”

 

“I would have loved to face him now or when I was a bit older, very sound technically, knowing what I'm doing out there. But for him, to face him at that time, it was almost unfair. He just had too much skill. He was playing with me. It felt like a really, really good bowler," he said.

 

AB de Villiers made his debut for South Africa in 2004, a time when the Pakistan pace attack featured names like Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammed Asif. Asif, in particular, was widely known for his control, movement off the seam, and ability to outthink batters without relying on express pace.

 

Reflecting on his early struggles, de Villiers said, “Probably I had a much higher bat lift, and that was the reason I was way too troubled by Asif.” He further added, “I would now love to play against the bowler after I have clarity over my batting technique.”

 

De Villiers, who played international cricket until 2018, enjoyed a highly successful career that spanned over 14 years. He scored 8,765 Test runs and 9,577 ODI runs, maintaining averages of 50.66 in Tests and 53.50 in ODIs. He remains one of the few cricketers to average over 50 in both formats.

 

The South African legend also left his mark in T20 leagues across the globe, most notably with Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL, where his explosive batting performances earned him a huge fan following.