Profile of Wahab Riaz

Wahab Riaz

Wahab Riaz

Wahab Riaz

Wahab Riaz

Profile of Wahab Riaz

ne among the many Pakistani pacers with good pace and a nippy action, Wahab Riaz came into the reckoning in 2008 when he was selected in the ODI squads to play against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. He impressed one-and-all in his early days but failed in the real test, when he was selected for a tri-series in Bangladesh which included arch-rivals India. He conceded 85 runs in a match against India and had to be taken off the attack after bowling two beamers. Since then, Riaz struggled to maintain his spot in the eleven and was in and out of the squad. 

He made his Test debut in the third Test of Pakistan's tour to England, and celebrated it with a dream spell, picking up a match-winning five-wicket haul in the first innings. Since then, Riaz has been a permanent member of the Test and ODI squads. With Pakistan losing Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif to match-fixing bans, Riaz, became a regular member of the playing eleven in the tours to come. He continued to show consistency in the series against South Africa, and sealed his World Cup spot with good shows in New Zealand. 

In the World Cup, he saved his best for the semi-final and shot to limelight with a five-wicket haul against arch-rivals India, which unfortunately came in a losing cause. Riaz maintained his spot in the Pakistan squad for the tour of West Indies that followed, and he ended the ODI tour as their leading wicket-taker. He was rested for the tour of Zimbabwe, and Riaz used the opportunity to sign for Kent. On his home debut, Riaz picked up a five-wicket haul which included a hat-trick against Gloucestershire.

Riaz has not been consistent enough with his performances and has gone down the pecking order with the emergence of Junaid Khan and Mohammad Irfan. He also lost out on his place in the Test side and last played a game in May 2011. Riaz made a successful return to Tests in August 2014 as he picked up six wickets in the match versus Sri Lanka. However, he injured his knee in the second ODI against Australia and missed out on the Test series that followed. He made a return though, for the New Zealand ODI series, but didn't have the best of outings in the three games that he played. The selectors have persisted with him and picked him for the 2015 World Cup Down Under. 

Source;cricbuzz