Pakistan’s ace speedster Wahab Riaz named Punjab’s caretaker sports minister

LAHORE – After playing professional cricket for more than two decades, former Pakistani skipper Wahab Riaz has now landed a role in the Punjab caretaker setup as sports minister.

Known for toe-crushing Yorkers, the ace bowler was named as sports minister of the country’s most populated region, Punjab, by caretaker chief minister Mohsin Naqvi.

Reports in local media suggest that the father of two is currently playing in the Bangladesh Premier League and will take the oath at a later time. The cricketer has not shared anything on this development on any of his social media handles.

Following his selection in the new caretaker setup, Wahab’s name started trending on Twitter. Here’s how people reacted:

Wahab Riaz as a Sports Minister... pic.twitter.com/Awip3XsrYD

— Ahtasham Riaz 🇵🇰 (@AhtashamRiaz_) January 26, 2023

Wahab Riaz https://t.co/AEuyA39f7M pic.twitter.com/dm61TMpYzJ

— 𝕱𝖆𝖎𝖟𝖆𝖓1*🇵🇰 (@MessiFCforlife) January 26, 2023

Wahab Riaz PSL khelay ga Yaa Punjab mai Ministry py aye?? pic.twitter.com/fw3CS5VsEo

— Tayyab Malik 🇵🇰 (@Tayyab_malik000) January 26, 2023

Wahab Riaz as a minister : pic.twitter.com/teDES9ZF5F

— Waseem Nabi (@WaseeemNabi) January 26, 2023

Pakistan's second-highest wicket-taker in Cricket World Cup was born on June 28, 1985 in Lahore. He made his ODI debut in 2008 but had to wait for two years for his first Test where he made an impact at The Oval.

In 2011, he took a five-for in the World Cup semi-final against India in Mohali, and in the next World Cup in 2015, he gave the Australians a tough time with his hostile spell in the quarter-final.

The left-arm pacer bagged several accolades in his career including hitting a bowl at 154 km/h. His exceptional performance in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 earned him recognition.

In 2019, the speedster announced taking a break from Test cricket to focus on the shorter formats.

Wahab Riaz just got a new look