Mohammad Asif considers himself to be Pakistan's best new-ball bowler

Mohammad Asif has had a cricketing career that led him to the highest of peaks and the deepest of abysses. A feisty pacer armed with abundant talent, Asif went astray after being embroiled in the 2010 spot-fixing scandal. Recently, Asif went on to say that he’s still a force to be reckoned with and he remains the best ‘new-ball’ bowler for his national side, Pakistan.

34-year-old Asif emerged as a product of Pakistan’s longstanding lineage of fast bowlers. He possessed immaculate accuracy when it came to his bowling and his ability to swing the ball made him indomitable. However, he hit rock-bottom in 2010 when he, along with the-then skipper, Salman Butt and Mohammad Amir were sentenced to a 5-year ban for allegedly being involved in spot-fixing.

Mohammad Asif confident of his bowling skills

As quoted by NDTV, Asif expressed confidence in his bowling skills and said, “I still remain the best new ball bowler in Pakistan cricket.” He went on to reinforce his faith in his ability by saying, “I have been praised for my bowling skills by the best in cricket. I know the art of using the new ball.”

The pacer has been on a path to redeem himself after having completed the tenure of the ban he’d been sentenced to. His talent and skill came to the fore when he picked up seven wickets for Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) against Khan Research Laboratories at the recently concluded Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.

In his hay days, Asif triumphed against some of the world’s best batsmen including the likes of Kevin Pietersen, Virender Sehwag, Andrew Strauss and Jacques Kallis. He picked up 106 wickets in just 23 Tests, including seven 5-wicket hauls. In his ODI career, he bagged 46 scalps in 38 matches, with best bowling figures of 3/28. Whether or not he’ll be able to make a comeback to the Pakistan national side as Mohammad Amir did successfully, will be an interesting thing to see.