‘Scary, miles faster’ – AB de Villiers picks Shoaib Akhtar over Jasprit Bumrah as better fast bowler

Former South Africa batter AB de Villiers has named Pakistan's Shoaib Akhtar as the toughest bowler he faced based purely on raw speed, placing him ahead of India's Jasprit Bumrah and Sri Lanka's Lasith Malinga. Speaking on the Prakhar Gupta Xperience Podcast, De Villiers described Akhtar as miles faster than Bumrah from a pure pace perspective.

De Villiers nevertheless singled out Bumrah as the most consistent bowler among the trio, noting that the Indian fast bowler rarely made mistakes during their encounters late in his career. Regarding Malinga, De Villiers explained that the Sri Lankan bowler did not trouble him excessively because they faced each other when his own batting technique was mature.