Wahab Riaz is a former left-arm fast bowler who represented Pakistan in all three formats of the game. He is currently serving as chief selector of Pakistan national cricket team. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced his appointment on November 17, 2023.
Wahab Riaz retired from international cricket in August after representing Pakistan in 27 test matches, 91 ODIs and 36 T20s, picking up 237 wickets in the three formats.
Wahab Riaz’s early life
Wahab Riaz was born on 28th June 1985 in Lahore. His father Muhammad Sikandar Riaz Kasana was a businessman. Wahab got his education at the prestigious Aitchison College, Lahore. Later, he completed his MSc in Bio Technology from Punjab University.
Wahab Riaz family
Wahab Riaz was married to Zainab Chaudhary. He has three children – two daughters, Eshal and Hoorain and a son Sikandar.
Wahab Riaz’s cricketing career
Wahab Riaz has played quite competitive cricket at domestic and international level and unleash his talent with splendid performances.
Here is a glance of his career in all formats:
Test debut – 18 August 2010 vs England in London
ODI debut – 2 February 2008 vs Zimbabwe in Sheikhupura
T20I debut – 20 April 2008 vs India in Karachi
Last Test- 7 October 2018 vs Australia at Dubai International Cricket Stadium
Last ODI- 3 November 2020 vs Zimbabwe at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium
Last T20I- 20 December 2020 vs New Zealand at Seddon Park
Interesting facts about Wahab Riaz
Wahab Riaz was a medium fast bowler, but former Test bowler Aaqib Javed worked hard on him to make him a genuine fast bowler.
He made his first-class debut at the age of 16 for Lahore Whites against Peshawar in 2002.
He also took a hat-trick in the 2013 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy game by dismissing Ahmed Shehzad, Adnan Akmal and Waqas Ahmed.
He was the fastest bowler in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 with the speed of 154.5 km/hr.
He is a true sportsmen as he played for the Lahore Lions in the 2014 Champions League T20 in India, when her daughter was critical and undergoing a surgery in a hospital in Pakistan.
ICC World Cup 2015 performance
During ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, he became one of the fastest bowlers of the world. He bowled ODI Cricket’s one of the best over to Australian all-rounder Shane Watson. The world’s greatest batsmen and bowlers rated his performance as one of the best ODI bowling by any bowler of the world.
Wahab Riaz’s spell against Australia won him applaud from numerous cricketers of the contemporary time.
Michael Clarke referred to Riaz’s performance ‘as good as I’ve faced in ODI cricket for a long time’.
Kevin Pietersen described the spell as the “Best spell of bowling by a foreigner on Aussie soil for years”.
Brian Lara tweeted “I want to meet with this Riaz guy,” adding that he would pay the fine imposed on Riaz by the ICC for his verbal altercation with Watson. Brian Lara was later invited by Riaz to Pakistan via Twitter.
Wahab Riaz’s controversies
Wahab Riaz and Shane Watson were charged for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during the Pakistan vs Australia quarter-final in the 2015 World Cup.
In the quarterfinal match against Australia, he took Australian skipper Michael Clarke’s wicket and, then, showed some aggressive interaction by sarcastic clapping and a flying kiss to Shane Watson. ICC fined Riaz for the behavior but he became the top trend at social media networks.
During 2016 PSL stage match against Quetta Gladiators, he had an exchange of words and a physical tussle with batsman Ahmed Shehzad. The Pakistan Cricket Board imposed a fine on both the players and issued an official warning to them.
Wahab Riaz career teams
Pakistan, Peshawar Zalmi, Kent, Ruhuna Royals, Pakistan All Star XI, Chittagong Kings, Lahore Lions, Surrey and Rangpur Riders.
ICC World Cup 2011 five-fer against India
Wahab Riaz appeared for Pakistan for four matches in 2011 World cup. His performance against India was simply treat to watch. He took 5 wickets against India where he was given a chance to play as a replacement for Shoaib Akhtar.
Wahab Riaz became second most expensive bowler in ODI
Wahab Riaz conceded 110 runs in his stipulated 10 overs on 30th August 2016, which is the second worst bowling figure ever in ODI cricket.
Peshawar Zalmi career
Wahab Riaz was allocated as a Platinum category player in the 2016 Pakistan Super League players draft. He was bought by Peshawar Zalmi for $140,000 for the 2016 competition. He was also retained by the Peshawar Zalmi for the second PSL season in 2017 and still an integral part of the team.
Peshawar Zalmi won the 2017 title. He has played for Zalmi in every edition so far. On February 18, 2022, he took his 100th wicket in the PSL for Peshawar, becoming the first player overall to reach the milestone.
Wahab Riaz as Advisor to Caretaker Punjab CM
Wahab Riaz was appointed as sports minister in Mohsin Naqvi’s caretaker Punjab government in January 2023. Unusually, he could not take his oath due to his busy schedule. He was later appointed as the Advisor to Chief Minister Punjab for sports and youth affairs on 22 March 2023.
