Hasim Amla is one the best batsman that South Africa has ever produced. Among the current active players, he is only behind the Indian skipper Virat Kohli in the tally of international centuries. Although, he is looking a bit rusty in last one year or so but South Africa needs him to roar back in form prior to the all-important ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, which will be played in England.
Amla has troubled all the bowlers in the world and once England’s spearhead James Anderson admitted that he is the most difficult batsman to bowl in the 0world. Though there is one fast bowler whom Amla finds most difficult to face.
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He revealed that Pakistan’s fast bowler Mohammad Asif troubled him most during South Africa’s tour of Pakistan in 2007 and he found it difficult to cope against his inswing and outswing.
“Mohammad Asif is the best one [I faced], and [I know] he got banned for [spot] fixing but at that stage, he was the best fast bowler I’ve ever faced. He was not quick, 135kph maybe, but his accuracy was phenomenal. We played him in South Africa and even in Pakistan in 2007. [If] he landed in the first stump I didn’t know if it was nipping away or nipping in… He tested your defence really, to the maximum,” revealed Amla to SuperSport in an interview.
The veteran batsman went to add another revelation that most of the South African batsman still believes that Asif was a magician with the ball in hand.
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“Funnily enough, as the years have gone by, meeting other cricketers from home, the world over, just loosely chatting… so many of the guys feel exactly the same thing. They said Mohammad Asif was a magician of the ball in a way,” Amla added.
Mohammad Asif’s international career faced a premature halt when he, along with his two teammates, was found guilty of spot-fixing in 2010. His fast bowling partner Mohammad Amir and then captain Salman Butt were involved in this fixing saga and the International Cricket Council (ICC) banned the trio from the international cricket.
