Jasprit Bumrah or Pat Cummins? Babar Azam names the toughest bowler he has ever faced

Babar Azam, white-ball captain of the Pakistan Cricket Team, has opened up about the toughest bowler he has ever faced during a rapid-fire round with the South African great AB de Villiers on his YouTube channel.

Babar shared a lot of things about himself on de Villiers’ chat show. Babar has had the honor of facing some of the most dangerous bowlers in his career so far, like India’s Jasprit Bumrah and Mohmmad Shami, Australia’s Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc, England’s James Anderson and Stuart Broad, and South Africa’s Dale Steyn and Kagiso Rabada, among others.

Babar Azam picks Pat Cummins over Jasprit Bumrah as the toughest bowler

However, the stylish Pakistani batter has ignored Indian pacers Bumrah and Shami, who have given him a really tough time in white-ball cricket and has picked Australia’s star pacer and captain Cummins as the toughest bowler he has ever faced in his career so far.

When AB de Villiers was asked to name the toughest bowler he had ever faced on his YouTube channel during the conversation, Babar said, “Pat Cummins." To which the former South African captain said, “Yeah, I agree with that. He's very close. He's one of the toughest bowlers I have ever faced.”

Notably, in the modern era of the game, Bumrah and Cummins stand out as two of the toughest bowlers across the three formats of the game. His unorthodox action and pinpoint accuracy make him a nightmare for the batters, while his ability to swing the ball both ways adds to his menace.

On the other hand, Australian speedster Cummins, known for his pace and bounce, can consistently top speeds, exploit any pitch conditions, put pressure on the batters, and change the course of a game with his skill.

Meanwhile, Babar also revealed that he loves playing snooker and gold during breaks, and he even tried pedaling, but it was quite difficult for him. The Pakistan captain also revealed that the most famous person on his contact list is the famous singer Atif Aslam.

I just love to play cricket: Babar Azam opens up about his goals

Speaking about his dreams and goals moving forward, Babar said, “Honestly, I'm just thinking day by day. I'm not thinking about where I am going. I'm just playing my game and enjoying myself every single time. Um, I just love to play cricket.”

Recently, Babar, along with Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Afridi, were denied NOCs by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to play in the Global T20 League in Canada, citing the upcoming hectic schedule and workload management, as they feature in almost all the franchise leagues across the world.

The PCB said in a statement: “After taking into consideration Pakistan’s busy and packed cricket calendar in the period from August 2024 to March 2025, which includes nine ICC World Test Championship matches and next year’s ICC Champions Trophy 2025, and following consultations with the three players as well as the national selection committee, it has been decided to decline their requests.”