Not Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara or Ricky Ponting, but Inzamam-ul-Haq is the best batsman Shoaib Akhtar ever bowled to

New Delhi: Former Pakistani speedster Shoaib Akhtar was a nightmare for the best of batsmen during his playing days.

While the Rawalpindi Express intimidated the best in the business with his fearsome pace, he has revealed the name of the batsman who played him the best.

The name might come as a suprise to many, but Shoaib has named his former skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq as the best batsman he ever bowled to.

"There were a lot of players in the world (I found difficult to get out) but the most difficult, who I couldn't even get out in the nets, was Inzamam," Shoaib was quoted as saying by fellow teammate and pace bowling legend Wasim Akram's talk show The Sportsman, reports cricket.com.au.

Further lauding Inzamam, Shoaib said that the formidable right-hander's timing was one of the best as he seemed to have an extra second compared to other batsmen.

"I think there was no other player who played me better than him. His footwork was quick, he would place himself and be ready to play. He could see the ball earlier than many. I always thought he had an extra second. However fast I bowled, he had placed himself where the ball would land," he added.

Inzamam was recently appointed as the chief selector of the Pakistan team, prior to which he was the head coach of Afghanistan.