Over an international career that lasted over 14 years, AB de Villiers faced some of the best bowlers in the history of the game from different generations. Being Glenn McGrath at the start of his career to the likes of Jasprit Bumrah towards the fag end, the South African star impressed against the best from various generations across formats to certify himself as one of the greatest batters in the history of the game.

For many bowlers around the world, de Villiers was undoubtedly the toughest batter to bowl to during his career. However, the ex-South African captain revealed the bowler that troubled him the most and named ex-Pakistan pacer Mohammad Asif.

"I think Mohammad Asif back in the day, when I was young and my technique was not as sound as in the back end of my career. He found a few weaknesses in my setup. He was a wonderful bowler and troubled quite a few batters around the world," said de Villiers to Sports Tak.

Asif made his debut for Pakistan in 2005 and played 23 Tests, 38 ODIs, and 11 T20Is. In his career, the Pakistan pacer took 106 wickets in Test cricket at an average of 24.36 while also getting 46 and 13 scalps in ODI and T20I cricket. He last played for Pakistan in 2010 as his international career came to an end after being caught in the spot-fixing saga alongside Mohammad Amir and then captain Salman Butt.

During the same interaction, the South African legend was asked to pick between Dale Steyn and Jasprit Bumrah. He refused to make a choice and stated he would include both in his team.

As far as de Villiers is concerned, he retired from international cricket in 2018 and last played professional cricket in the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL). He has made a return to the field for South Africa Champions in the ongoing World Championship of Legends, which features retired players from around the world.