Kevin Pietersen names Mohammad Asif as the best bowler he's faced
Monday 23 January 2017 12:35, UK
Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen has named Mohammad Asif as the best bowler he has ever faced.
The Pakistan fast bowler has not played international cricket since being found guilty and subsequently banned for spot-fixing during a tour of England in 2010.
Asif took the wicket of Pietersen, removing him for a golden duck, during a 2006 meeting at The Oval that is best remembered for Pakistan's decision to forfeit the Test following accusations of ball tampering.
"The best bowler I faced was Mohammad Asif, the bowler from Pakistan who got done for [spot]-fixing," Pietersen told the Howie Games podcast.
"Probably not a bad thing because he tormented a lot of batters. Just his ability to make a batsman feel like the ball was accelerating off the wicket in different directions.
"If I was in good form, he made sure I wasn't in good form a couple of weeks later after playing him.
"If I wasn't in good form, I knew I wasn't in good form after playing him for a couple of weeks during a series."
The 34-year-old was handed a five-year ban from the International Cricket Council and also a received a one-year prison sentence in the United Kingdom for his part in the spot-fixing scandal, which also implicated team-mates Mohammad Amir and Salman Butt.
Asif returned to first-class cricket in October 2016, featuring for the Water and Power Development Authority in the third round of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.
