AB de Villiers is 'hardest batter I've ever bowled to' – Nathan Lyon

The South African called time on his 13-year career in May 2018 having revolutionised white-ball batting whilst still maintaining exceptional standards in the Test arena; the 35-year-old finished with an ODI batting average of 53.50 from 228 games, and a Test average of 50.66 from 114.

He is still a top performer in global franchise leagues, exemplified by his 441 runs at an average of 49 in this year's Indian Premier League (IPL), and Lyon has no doubts that the South African is still one of the most formidable players in world cricket – and wouldn't mind another crack at bowling at him.

"It’s an interesting one when you’re up against that challenge, but I’ve always said I want to challenge myself against the best players in the world," Lyon told The BackPage Live."AB is still one of those guys."

Many have called for de Villiers to return to national duty, but last week the swashbuckling batsman told SportStar that he looks back at his decision to retire from international cricket with "100 percent satisfaction".

When discussing just how good de Villiers was, Lyon could not have been more complimentary. "He is probably the hardest batter I’ve ever bowled to, and I’ve played against AB quite a few times now on different tours," he said. "He’s probably the one guy who I’ve thought: 'He can probably hit me anywhere he wants at any time.'"

De Villiers was particularly known for his 360-degree hitting, seemingly capable of dispatching the ball into the stands wherever he liked, regardless of the delivery. Lyon, who is in Australia's squad for ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, described the treatment that speed merchant and compatriot Mitchell Johnson faced when he was put up against de Villiers.

"There have been a couple of tours when Mitchell Johnson’s been bowling like the wind after a pretty amazing Ashes series here at home, and AB was pulling Mitch in front of square-leg and just back-footing drives and showing all the shots," he said.

Johnson has revealed a similar sentiment to Lyon's in the past, telling cricket.com.au that de Villiers is the best player he has ever bowled against. "AB de Villiers was the guy who really stood out for me," Johnson said in 2016. "AB was above everyone else for a long period; just how calm he was, he had all the shots."