AB de Villiers names three toughest bowlers he ever faced

South African cricketing legend AB de Villiers has picked three of the toughest bowlers he has ever faced in his career. The former South African skipper first picked late Australian legend, Shane Warne. After that, he took the names of two of the active players, the Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan and Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah.

In an interview with Robin Uthappa, De Villiers explained the battles against each of the bowlers he mentioned. While he faced Warne in the early stages of his career, as a youngster players like Bumrah and Rashid are quite recent for him. He recalled his first face-off with Warne while he was batting against Australia in 2006.

“I think Shane Warne in 2006 the first time I travelled to Australia, not so much because of skill and technique and also just the presence of the man and the aura he carried. And obviously, I was quite inexperienced.” De Villiers was quoted as saying by Sports Tiger.

It seems like De Villiers has struggled against the Australian legend as he averaged just 15 with a strike rate of 76.15 and six dismissals across T20s and Tests against Warne. Notably, the duo didn’t take the field in ODIs. Speaking about Bumrah, De Villiers had an upper hand against the Indian fast bowler in ODIs and T20s including IPL. However, Bumrah emerged on top against De Villiers in the longest format, Test Cricket.

‘I got a hold of him even a few times’ – De Villiers about Bumrah

In the end, when he took the name of Rashid, he said that the Afghanistan spinner stood out because he was unafraid to continue pursuing his wicket with an attacking delivery even after being struck for runs. De Villiers said that Rashid is a tough bowler to face, and added that he always makes a comeback after getting smashed.

“Bumrah was always very challenging because he was so competitive, he would never back down, is always in your face so I’ve got a lot of respect for him and the way he plays his cricket. I got a hold of him even a few times. He came back at me and got a hold of me a few times and I love that competitiveness,” De Villiers said.

”Rashid Khan, tough to pick at night once again. Got him a few times and he would always come back. Always in your face. He hit him with three sixes, as he was trying to get me out the next ball. And those are the kind of bowlers I always found difficult to face and always had a lot of respect for,” he concluded.