Former South African batter AB de Villiers has said that Pakistan’s bowling attack has lost the fear factor that once made it one of the most feared units in world cricket.
Speaking on a YouTube video ahead of the first Test against England at Headingley, de Villiers praised the return of Joe Root as England captain alongside new coach Stephen Fleming. “I think it’s a wonderful combination,” he said.
He then turned his attention to Pakistan, who he feels have struggled specifically in the bowling department in recent years.
“I feel the real big problem is what happened to that express pace, the fear factor that they used to have,” de Villiers said. He pointed to past greats like Wasim Akram, Shoaib Akhtar, Waqar Younis and Mohammad Asif, players he faced during his own career.
De Villiers noted that Pakistan’s current attack still carries recognisable names. He mentioned Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah as bowlers with reputations built on past performances.
“They still seem to have this kind of reputation as great Pakistan bowlers, but they’re just not putting in the yards,” he said. He added that the team has not been taking 20 wickets in a Test match consistently.
De Villiers also addressed Pakistan’s recent form, referencing their loss to the West Indies, a result that left them at the bottom of the World Test Championship table at the time.
“The last three years have not been really good for them,” he said. According to de Villiers, Pakistan are now in a rebuilding phase.
He said that his focus for the series will be on Pakistan’s seam bowlers. “Can they get that aura back, that presence that all Pakistan bowling attacks used to have,” he asked.
De Villiers also spoke about Babar Azam, who has returned as Pakistan captain but is carrying a finger niggle. He said Babar’s first priority should be scoring runs.
“He needs to score runs, that’s the number one thing, lead from the front by example,” de Villiers said. He added that tactical decisions can follow once Babar is contributing with the bat.
De Villiers acknowledged the pressure that comes with captaincy, stating that both teams are entering the series in a rebuilding phase, but gave England the edge.
“I feel England will have the upper hand, especially under the calm coach of Stephen Fleming,” he said. He also credited Root with bringing a new dimension to the side compared to recent years.
England bowled Pakistan out for 171 on the opening day at Headingley, with Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue each taking five wickets.
Pakistan’s much talked about pace attack failed to trouble England’s batters in response, as the hosts closed the day on 112 for 2, trailing by 59 runs.
