Pakistan‘s pace attack has come under scrutiny after struggling to make a significant impact against England in the ongoing first Test at Headingley. Despite getting conditions that traditionally favour seam bowling, Pakistan’s fast bowlers failed to consistently trouble England’s batters, prompting former South Africa star AB de Villiers to question whether the attack has lost the fear factor once associated with Pakistan cricket.

Pakistan pacers fail to make most of helpful conditions

Headingley offered Pakistan’s seamers plenty of encouragement, with cloudy skies and conditions expected to assist swing and movement. However, England’s batters were able to score freely for large periods, maintaining a scoring rate of more than 4.5 runs per over. The performance was particularly disappointing given Pakistan’s long-standing reputation for producing intimidating fast bowlers. Their current attack, featuring experienced names such as Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah, was expected to put England under sustained pressure.

Instead, Pakistan’s spinner Ali Usman emerged as the standout bowler, claiming an impressive five-wicket haul. His figures of 5/92 provided Pakistan with some much-needed relief, but the overall performance of the pace department left plenty to be desired.

AB de Villiers misses Pakistan’s old fear factor

De Villiers, who faced some of Pakistan’s most celebrated fast bowlers during his international career, believes the current attack lacks the same presence as previous generations. The former batter recalled the threat posed by legendary names such as Wasim Akram, Shoaib Akhtar, Waqar Younis and Mohammad Asif. According to De Villiers, those bowlers carried an intimidating aura that could influence opponents before a ball was even delivered. He feels Pakistan’s current crop has struggled to consistently produce that level of impact, despite carrying a strong reputation.

“I feel the real big problem is what happened to that express pace, the fear factor that they used to have. They still seem to have this kind of reputation as great Pakistan bowlers, but they’re just not putting in the yards,” De Villiers said on his YouTube channel.

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Pakistan’s rebuilding phase under the spotlight

De Villiers also pointed to Pakistan’s difficulty in taking 20 wickets consistently in Test cricket. For a team with such a rich history of producing world-class bowlers, that has become an increasingly important issue. While Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah remain highly regarded, De Villiers suggested that their performances have not yet matched the expectations attached to them. Injuries, inconsistency and a lack of sustained penetration have all contributed to questions over Pakistan’s bowling strength.

“The last three years have not been really good for them. Can they get that aura back, that presence that all Pakistan bowling attacks used to have?” he added.

With the Headingley Test serving as an early test of Pakistan’s credentials in England, their seamers will need to respond quickly.

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