In the series against England in 1967, Asif scored his maiden Test century, making 146 runs batting at number 9 at The Oval. In 1968 he was named one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year and captained Pakistan at the 1975 and 1979 Cricket World Cups, leading the team to the semi-finals in 1979. At Test level, he captained Pakistan team in a six Test series against India in 1979/80 before retiring from Test cricket after 58 matches.