Ten Batsmen And The Toughest Bowlers They Ever Faced

The best batsmen in the world of all eras have scored runs against the greatest bowlers of their times. Irrespective of unhelpful conditions, their concentration hardly seem to deter from their destiny of crafting some invaluable runs for the team. By playing some career-defining knocks, such players have been integral to some resounding victories for their side.

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But this is not to say that no bowlers have ever caused them trouble. Similar to good batsmen, excellent bowlers have also existed. As a matter of fact, some of the elite batsmen have named a few specific bowlers to have troubled them the most during their glorious playing days. Also, these batters have described the bowlers’ distinct abilities which they struggled with.

We take a look at ten of the best batsmen and their adversaries:

Ricky Ponting – Wasim Akram and Curtly Ambrose:

Across formats, Ricky Ponting is arguably the most celebrated Australian batsman ever seen. With his attacking strokeplay, Ponting has garnered over 13000 runs in Tests and ODIs at healthy averages of 52 and 42 respectively. The Tasmanian often spearheaded his team as the captain to script some of the most crushing wins for Australia.

Wasim Akram and Curtly Ambrose were easily the best fast bowlers I've ever faced. Shoaib Akhtar clearly the quickest but Harbhajan Singh got me out more than anybody https://t.co/17bIbPD6H3

— Ricky Ponting AO (@RickyPonting) January 12, 2020

Ponting played against giants like Waqar Younis, Shaun Pollock, Makhaya Ntini, Darren Gough, Courtney Walsh, and many more. But when asked via Twitter, who he liked to face the least, he named Pakistan’s Wasim Akram and West Indies’ legend Curtly Ambrose. Apart from that, he labelled Shoaib Akhtar as the fastest and India’s Harbhajan Singh as the one, who dismissed him the most number of times.

Sachin Tendulkar – Hansie Cronje

During his 24-year career, Indian icon Sachin Tendulkar has dealt with some of the venomous bowlers and neutralised them. The leading run-getter in Tests and ODIs had given sleepless nights to some of the elite bowlers to have graced the game. But Tendulkar named a truly unexpected bowler, who caused him problems.

It is the former South African captain Hansie Cronje, who caused worry for the batting stalwart. During his playing days, Cronje bowled dibbly-dobbly medium pace and as an occasional bowler, but was a partnership-breaker. The late cricketer claimed Sachin’s scalp three times in 32 ODIs and five times in 11 Tests.

The Mumbai batsman recalled when he used to tell his partner at the other end that he would deal with the likes of Allan Donald and Pollock. But he would request them to deal with Cronje. He understands that certain people may not believe him, but he used to be extra careful when Hansie came in to roll his arms.

“People don’t believe me, but yes, there have been times when I was well set, and Hansie came on (to bowl)… I would be extra vigilant. I told my partner, I will play off (Allan) Donald or (Shaun) Pollock, you, please deal with him (Hansie) for me. He has got me out so many times and on multiple occasions.”

Virat Kohli – Mohammad Amir

One of the modern-day greats, Virat Kohli, has taken the cricketing world by storm through his prolific run-scoring. The current Indian captain is a giant in all three formats but has remained nearly untouchable in ODIs. With 11867 runs at 59.3 so far, he looks in line to become the highest run-getter in the version. However, Pakistan’s Mohammad Amir has earned the tag of being the toughest bowler from Kohli’s point of view.

In retrospect, Amir has claimed the wicket of Virat only twice in seven encounters in white-ball cricket. Their most intriguing on-field rivalry traces back to the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy final. Defending 339, the left-arm bowler got Pakistan off to a fiery start by dismissing Rohit Sharma in the first over itself. The captain came out to the crease, and Amir greeted him with a jaffa.

The Delhi batsman nicked one to the slip after a few deliveries, which Azhar Ali dropped. But in the very next ball, Kohli edged one to Shadab Khan at backward point for 5. The 31-year old lavished praises on Amir by saying that in recent times he is one of the hardest to face and is amongst the top three in the toughest encountered. Kohli further conceded that one has to be on the top of their game when on strike against the Pakistani pacer or he would get you.

“In recent times, Mohammad Amir of Pakistan (is the hardest to face). He is in the top two or three bowlers in the world and one of the toughest bowlers I have played in my career. You have to be on your ‘A’ Game when you’re facing him or he will strike. Outstanding, a very good bowler.” 

Yuvraj Singh – Muttiah Muralitharan and Glenn McGrath

World Cup-winner Yuvraj Singh was once the most reliable match-winner for India. The all-rounder from Punjab was integral in India’s victorious campaign in the 2007 ICC World T20 as well as the 2011 World Cup. He received the award for the man of the tournament in the men in blue’s successful 50-World Cup journey. But Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan exposed some chinks in his game.

The retired cricketer claimed that he had no clue against the sub-continent counterpart. At the same time, the 38-year old thanked Sachin, who advised him to play the sweep shot against Murali due to which he felt comfortable. Amongst the fast bowlers, Australian seam bowler Glenn McGrath was the most bothersome for him. Yuvraj specifically mentioned the ball from McGrath, which moved away caused him plenty of trouble.

“I really struggled against (Muttiah) Muralitharan. Had no clue against him. Glenn (McGrath) would trouble me a lot with the away-going delivery. Luckily I didn’t play much against McGrath because in Test matches I was sitting out and cheering for the seniors. Sachin (Tendulkar) told me to start sweeping (against Muralitharan) and I was at ease.”

Steve Smith – Ravindra Jadeja

In his very recent chat, Steve Smith revealed that Ravindra Jadeja is the toughest bowler to negotiate in the sub-continent conditions. A modern-day run-machine in Test cricket, Smith, has hacked the formula of scoring runs with his unorthodox technique, irrespective of pitches. Unlike most batsmen, the current number one Test batsman has fared well in all countries so far.

While naming his significant goal of winning a Test series in India, the New South Wales batsman said that Jadeja is challenging to get away within those decks. Smith mentioned that the left-arm bowler’s consistency and variations are what makes him tough to neutralise. He further conceded that for a finger spinner, change in pace without changing the speed of arms too much is crucial and Jadeja is among the few as of today, who can do it.

“Jadeja in the sub-continent… why he is so good because, he hits that good length and one ball skids on and one spins, and it just all looks same out of the hand. I think consistency in length is key and then having at least one variation.”

“So, I think for a leg-spinner, having a good googly, or a slider is crucial and for fingers spinners, being able to change the pace without changing the arms speed too much. I reckon there a few around the world who do that, Jadeja is one of them. He is very difficult to play.”

Adam Gilchrist – Muttiah Muralitharan and Harbhajan Singh

Adam Gilchrist redefined the role of attacking play in One-day internationals through his fiery start in the powerplay overs. A three-time World Cup-winner, Gilchrist had the potential to clear the boundary with ease and take any bowler to the cleaners. But the former Australian keeper-batsman was another batsman troubled by the mastery of Muralitharan.

Even though Gilchrist powered his way through the off-spinner in the 2007 World Cup final, he revealed his struggles in reading him. The retired batsman mentioned that it was more of mental intimidation rather than physical. The fact that the highest wicket-taker in ODIs turned the ball both ways made it harder to pick him.

“The bowler I feared most was not a physical intimidation. It was more psychologically and almost to the point of embarrassment – it was Murali. I couldn’t pick him. He turns the ball that far both ways and I could not pick him.”

The retired keeper-batsman recalled the 2001 Test series in India and thought how easy it was to win in India after they won the first Test rather comfortably. However, since the second Test, the off-spinner turned into a nightmare for them, especially Gilchrist. Along with Muralitharan, the Western Australian admitted that Harbhajan was a nemesis.

“We were five for 99, I went in there, got a hundred off 80 balls, we won in three days and I just thought, ‘What have these blokes been doing for 30 years. How easy’s this?’ And how wrong I was. We’ve only got to fast forward to the next Test match and I came back to reality,”

“As it would turn out, by the end of that series we probably needed to learn how to put a handbrake on just to get a holding pattern, rather than ‘attack, attack, attack’ because it doesn’t always work — Harbhajan bamboozled us. He was a bit of a nemesis for me right throughout my career. I found him and Murali probably the two hardest bowlers to face.”

Rahul Dravid – Glenn McGrath and Muttiah Muralidharan

Often called “The Wall”, Rahul Dravid was the most quintessential Test batsman of his era. With over 13000 runs in the format, Dravid could keep batting for more extended periods to suck the life out of the bowlers. But there existed a couple of bowlers, who challenged his longevity in the crease.

Among the fast bowlers, the Karnataka batsman named McGrath as the toughest one. Dravid revealed that Glenn was an aggressive bowler, regardless of whether he bowled his first or 25th over. The New South Wales bowler kept testing you with his nagging off-stump line.

“As far as fast bowler is concerned, Glenn McGrath was the toughest I have faced, I have played him at the peak of his career and he was truly a great bowler. When he was bowling well it was very difficult to judge your off stump.”

“He kept challenging you, kept testing you just around that off stump. He was a very aggressive bowler irrespective of whether he was bowling his first or second over or the 25th over, he was always at you, probing and asking questions.”

The 47-year old Dravid named Sri Lankan legend Muralitharan as the most challenging amongst the slow bowlers. Dravid praised the highest wicket-taker in Test cricket by labelling him as a very skilful bowler, capable of turning the ball both ways extensively. The retired batsman further said that he possessed high consistency and control as well.

“Spinners…Muttiah Muralitharan was the best I have played against. Murali was an extremely skillful bowler, he could spin the ball both ways, not by little bit but by a long way. It was very difficult to pick and read. He had great consistency and control.”

Brian Lara – Wasim Akram and Muttiah Muralitharan

Brian Lara was one of the flamboyant left-handed batsmen ever to grace the game. In his 17-year old career, the Prince of Trinidad tamed the best of the bowlers and found a way to churn runs against them. With nearly 12000 runs in Test cricket, Lara holds the record for the highest individual score in the format with an unbeaten 400.

The prodigies, who troubled Lara during his illustrious career were Wasim Akram and Muralitharan. While recalling his battles with Warne and Murali, Lara conceded that the latter confused him during their early part of their confrontation while the former didn’t. At the same time, the Trinidadian admitted that his innings was more in control against Murali as it proceeded further.

“Muttiah (Muralitharan) always confused me in the early part of our confrontation, whilst Shane Warne didn’t. Having said that, as my innings grew I felt I had more control over Muttiah, whilst Shane seemed to grow in confidence. They were definitely the two best spinners of my time.”

The gracious left-hander also named Wasim Akram as the most challenging seamer to deal with. Lara disclosed that he hardly felt in control while facing the left-arm seamer since along with bowling fast, he swung the ball both ways apart from bringing reverse swing into play. Furthermore, Akram’s bouncers were mixed in pace and was full of confidence when in rhythm.

“He always made me feel stupid. Oh, he was fast and furious. He bowled over and round the wicket, swung the ball both ways, a master of reverse swing and moreover, at times, he cut the ball prodigiously. His bouncers were fast and slow too and very aggressive when in full flow and very competitive as well. I never felt in control when facing Wasim because he was always very unpredictable.”

Matthew Hayden – Curtly Ambrose and Harbhajan Singh

During his playing days, Matthew Hayden was a fearless striker of the ball and destroyed some of the elite bowling attacks with ease. Even in Test cricket, the Queensland cricketer yielded no mercy and went straight away after the bowlers. But the Antiguan bowler Curtly Ambrose instilled fear in the mind of the left-hander.

In a chat with the International Business Times, Hayden revealed that the towering pacer had all the makings of a terrific fast bowler. The 48-year old mentioned that he was fast, accurate, and ruthless from the get-go. With his precise line and length, Ambrose barely gave the batsmen anything to free their arms. Furthermore, he took the name of Harbhajan Singh among Indian bowlers with whom he shared some intriguing battles.

“My toughest bowler was (pause for a while) probably Curtly Ambrose. He was a magnificent bowler, fast, accurate and relentless from ball one. He gave you nothing to hit. He bowled one line, one length. Among Indian players, I have had wonderful battles with Harbhajan (Singh). He did solid, emotional battles. So, those two players (Ambrose and Harbhajan) were tough.”

Kevin Pietersen – Mohammad Asif

Kevin Pietersen was one of the few English batsmen during his time, who played all three formats with equal flair. With his attacking strokeplay, Pietersen took several bowlers to the cleaners. But former Pakistani pacer Mohammad Asif was one bowler, who managed to cause him trouble.

Asif, who hasn’t played since 2010 following the spot-fixing saga, dismissed the England batsman for a duck in 2006 at The Oval. Pietersen admitted in a chat that he was challenging to negotiate since he could move the ball both ways off the pitch and in the air. The 39-year old also conceded that his excellent form often used to deter after playing him for two weeks. On the other hand, if he was undergoing a bad patch, it was due to facing Asif for two weeks during a series.

“The best bowler I faced was Mohammad Asif, the bowler from Pakistan who got done for [spot]-fixing. 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.”

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