The best batsman Cummins has bowled to

He wasn't named in the International Cricket Council's men's Test team of the decade, but former South Africa maestro AB de Villiers is the most difficult batsman star Australia quick Pat Cummins has bowled to.

Between the ICC's awards-of-the-decade timeframe of January 1, 2011 to October 7 of this year, de Villiers garnered 4063 Test runs at an average of 54.17.

The 36-year-old also notched 10 of his 22 Test centuries in that time, with the highest score of the lot his 169 against Australia in Perth in 2012.

But the ICC instead opted for New Zealand's Kane Williamson, India's Virat Kohli, Australia's Steve Smith and Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara in the middle order.

"I'd have to say AB de Villiers is the toughest batter I've bowled to, especially in the 2018 Test series," Cummins said.

"He just looks a class above, you feel like at anytime he can switch over into T20 mode and when batting with the tail I feel like he can hit a hundred in five overs. So I'd say him."

The 2018 Test series Cummins referred to was Australia's infamous tour of South Africa, which led to Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft copping suspensions on the back of the ball-tampering saga.

De Villiers compiled 426 runs across the four Tests – at Durban, Port Elizabeth, Cape Town and Johannesburg – at an average of 71.16.

His highest innings of the series was his unbeaten 126 in Port Elizabeth, which saw him trouble Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Marsh.

In the ICC's timeframe of January 1, 2011 to October 7 of this year, Smith plundered 7040 Test runs at an average of 65.79.

The right-hander's highest innings in that time is the highest of his Test career, his 239 against England in Perth in Australia's 2017-18 summer.

"I was obviously stoked for Smithy being named Test player of the decade," Cummins said.

"That's an incredible achievement."

ICC men's Test team of the decade

Alastair Cook (ENG), David Warner (AUS), Kane Williamson (NZ), Virat Kohli (c) (IND), Steve Smith (AUS), Kumar Sangakkara (wk) (SL), Ben Stokes (ENG), Ravichandran Ashwin (IND), Dale Steyn (SA), Stuart Broad (ENG), Jimmy Anderson (ENG)

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