Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers stated that Shoaib Akhtar was "miles faster" than India's Jasprit Bumrah, identifying the Pakistan pace legend as the most difficult among three fast bowlers regarding sheer velocity.
De Villiers shared these thoughts during an appearance on The Prakhar Gupta Xperience podcast, after host Prakhar Gupta inquired about the toughest bowler to face among Bumrah, Lasith Malinga, and Shoaib Akhtar.
Pace Gives Akhtar the Edge
"It's all different times of my career. Shoaib Akhtar came first. He was incredibly tough, miles faster than Bumrah, not even close. So from a pure pace point of view, it's definitely Akhtar," de Villiers said.
He mentioned that he encountered Malinga at a later stage when he was a more experienced batter with a firmer grasp of his technique, meaning the Sri Lankan bowler, possessing a distinct skill set, "never really troubled" him excessively.
Bumrah the Most Consistent
De Villiers noted that he faced Bumrah near his career's conclusion, during a time when his agility might have declined, yet the pair still shared "great battles" against one another.
Although Akhtar triumphed in velocity, the legendary batsman identified Bumrah as the steadiest of the trio. "If I had to say most consistent, definitely Jasprit. I think he's just someone who didn't make a lot of mistakes," he said.
He noted that Malinga trailed closely behind Bumrah, while commending the Indian fast bowler for "consistently asking good questions" and possessing "such a great temperament for a fast bowler."
This marks another occasion where de Villiers praised Pakistani cricketers, having previously selected a Pakistani athlete for his all-time XI. Meanwhile, Akhtar recently drew attention following reports that the PCB considered him for the chief selector position.
