Abdullah719
T20I Captain
- Joined
- Apr 16, 2013
- Runs
- 44,825
"8-10 days ago I had a dream that Inzi bhai called me and said this is your last chance": Wahab Riaz
Wahab Riaz at a presser ahead of his departure to England to join Pakistan's World Cup squad:
"For any player to get a chance to play the World Cup is a make or break opportunity"
"In the circumstances, the Pakistan team didn't play badly, they played well. I don't remember if we made 300+ consistently in all matches before"
"Fielding was the main problem for us"
"The selectors knew better about what they were doing previously and now if they require my services then I am here for my team and country and I'll try to fulfil the expectations that I've been brought here upon"
"I was told late night that I should get ready and that I'll probably go to England, but the announcement would be in the day"
"I have played very few ODIs in England but I've played Test matches there and I know the conditions. Last year I played T20s for Derby"
"There is pressure, there's a lot of expectations from Pakistan for every player"
"In these 2 years out of the side, I've learned a lot and done a lot of work and become maturer as a bowler"
"Inzi bhai said I've been brought back due to experience so I'll try to fulfil the expectations"
"I was very disheartened to be out of the team. I performed for 2 years after the CT where I failed to do well which led to my being dropped from the team"
"To those who say I am ******** or something or that it's a fluke, I say OK whatever, just make dua for me"
"In this World Cup, the thing we need the most is aggression. You need to show you're fighting with the opposition. The wickets are good and batting paradises"
"Unless you don't display aggression, the batsman will be on top so I think the aggression and attitude matters"
"Everyone has a basic plan, the team also gives a plan. I think you need to keep things simple on batting tracks. In the death overs, we need to stick to variations specially yorkers"
"I played county last year and the wickets were very dry which helped to reverse the ball so I think any team that reverses the ball well will have an advantage"
"If you speak about mental or physical preparation, I was totally prepared to play in this World Cup. My father had wanted me to be part of the World Cup. I had confidence that I'll be part of the team despite being out of consideration earlier"
"When I wasn't in the 23 preliminaries, since then I was perhaps so focused on playing in the World Cup that every 2nd or 3rd day I was having dreams about cricket. Sometimes I met Mickey Arthur, sometimes Sarfaraz and sometimes they neglected me or selected me"
"8-10 days ago I had a dream that Inzi bhai called me and said Wahab this is your last chance, you're going to the World Cup. Exactly one day earlier Inzi bhai called me up and said start getting ready, you're going to the World Cup"
"I am so much into it and I want to play for my country so much. In 2023 there's a World Cup and you never know. I wanted to go into the team and perform as well as I can and bring benefit to the team. I will try to apply whatever I've learned in the past 2 years to benefit the team"
"We were whitewashed by England but we need to see the positives, we never scored 300 in 4 matches consecutively so it's a big improvement. People said our batting doesn't click but from top to bottom, people made effort"
"In bowling also we bowled really well at times, we just fell short on a few occasions where we needed to click but couldn't. I spoke about fielding because if some catches were taken, they could've made a difference"
"As a player you're very disappointed at being out of the team and I'll say I was very frustrated also. Obviously you do think sometimes that it's unfair but at the same time, the team was also doing well. So I was downcast but I never gave up hope. Allah says that you get the fruit of your hard work and I feel that's what happened. When I found out, I was very happy and for a moment I was wondering if it was all real. Inzi bhai said you're going so I asked where am I going? He said there's a match in Pindi, then said obviously you're going to the World Cup"
"If we concede as few runs in the death overs as possible and take wickets and get the opposition out, it's best for Pakistan and that's what I'll try to do"
"The past is the past and we should look at the future now. If the coach said in the past that I wasn't a match-winner then I'll try to prove myself that that's not correct and that I can win matches. As a coach, obviously he wants results and he wants player who can win matches. So I want to be on that list"
"I always prayed that things happen as per whatever is best. If I was selected and I failed to perform, that would be bad as I wouldn't be able to fulfill expectations so I always prayed for whatever is best"
"Execution of reverse swing is very important so I'll go and work hard and practice"
"I'll try to perform so that I don't have to tweet again (to ask for forgiveness) and so that everyone says Wahab did well. If anyone didn't forgive me, hopefully they can do so"
"Any player wishes to play for his team, the World Cup is a big challenge and a chance to represent your team. Any player who was dropped from the squad will obviously be sad and frustrated at that but I was also thinking it's unfair that I was out of the team for 2 years so all these things are from Allah, my best wishes are with everybody. The coach, captain and selectors choose the team as they think is better for the team, I don't think they tried to hurt anyone personally"
"Critics usually focus on the negatives more and ignore the positives. I got 5 wickets against India in WC 2011 but in the other matches also I bowled well and got wickets. In 2015, I bowled a good spell against Watson but I don't think many will remember that I got 16 wickets and when we were eliminated from the tournament, I was third on the list of wicket-takers. My performances are such that I do contribute to the team and that's very important"
"Critics shouldn't heavily criticise on the basis of 1 match, sometimes you can go for runs in 1 match, it happens in cricket but that doesn't mean your skills and ability have finished. Sitting and criticising is easy"
"I have worked on my fitness, I have a personal trainer and I know what the facts and figures are of being part of the team and fitness is a big part of that. If my fitness isn't good, I can't be part of the team so I've worked hard even in Ramadan. First priority is fitness and if my fitness test is taken there, I think I'll pass with ease"
"Hasnain has pace and he'll gain experience, he can reverse the ball well and he troubles the batsmen. Once he gets used to conditions in England he'll do better, we'll try to share our experiences with him and work with him to make him even better"
"All the teams are strong and we need to play good cricket. You can't pinpoint 1 batsman as you don't know who will perform on the day"
"The format of the World Cup is the same as 1992 so any team who plays the SFs will have to play well throughout, you can't get to the SFs with a couple of good matches. You have to be consistent to get your place in the top 4. You can't say any team is a big favourite"
"We believe that duas make a difference and I am very thankful to my fans for speaking for me and for making duas. I want to request them to pray for all 15 players at the World Cup, we need your prayers and support. If we do well or badly, we need your support because without you, we're nothing. Every player wants to win the World Cup for their team, insha'Allah we will play not only the SF but also the final and we'll try our best to bring the World Cup to Pakistan"
Wahab Riaz at a presser ahead of his departure to England to join Pakistan's World Cup squad:
"For any player to get a chance to play the World Cup is a make or break opportunity"
"In the circumstances, the Pakistan team didn't play badly, they played well. I don't remember if we made 300+ consistently in all matches before"
"Fielding was the main problem for us"
"The selectors knew better about what they were doing previously and now if they require my services then I am here for my team and country and I'll try to fulfil the expectations that I've been brought here upon"
"I was told late night that I should get ready and that I'll probably go to England, but the announcement would be in the day"
"I have played very few ODIs in England but I've played Test matches there and I know the conditions. Last year I played T20s for Derby"
"There is pressure, there's a lot of expectations from Pakistan for every player"
"In these 2 years out of the side, I've learned a lot and done a lot of work and become maturer as a bowler"
"Inzi bhai said I've been brought back due to experience so I'll try to fulfil the expectations"
"I was very disheartened to be out of the team. I performed for 2 years after the CT where I failed to do well which led to my being dropped from the team"
"To those who say I am ******** or something or that it's a fluke, I say OK whatever, just make dua for me"
"In this World Cup, the thing we need the most is aggression. You need to show you're fighting with the opposition. The wickets are good and batting paradises"
"Unless you don't display aggression, the batsman will be on top so I think the aggression and attitude matters"
"Everyone has a basic plan, the team also gives a plan. I think you need to keep things simple on batting tracks. In the death overs, we need to stick to variations specially yorkers"
"I played county last year and the wickets were very dry which helped to reverse the ball so I think any team that reverses the ball well will have an advantage"
"If you speak about mental or physical preparation, I was totally prepared to play in this World Cup. My father had wanted me to be part of the World Cup. I had confidence that I'll be part of the team despite being out of consideration earlier"
"When I wasn't in the 23 preliminaries, since then I was perhaps so focused on playing in the World Cup that every 2nd or 3rd day I was having dreams about cricket. Sometimes I met Mickey Arthur, sometimes Sarfaraz and sometimes they neglected me or selected me"
"8-10 days ago I had a dream that Inzi bhai called me and said Wahab this is your last chance, you're going to the World Cup. Exactly one day earlier Inzi bhai called me up and said start getting ready, you're going to the World Cup"
"I am so much into it and I want to play for my country so much. In 2023 there's a World Cup and you never know. I wanted to go into the team and perform as well as I can and bring benefit to the team. I will try to apply whatever I've learned in the past 2 years to benefit the team"
"We were whitewashed by England but we need to see the positives, we never scored 300 in 4 matches consecutively so it's a big improvement. People said our batting doesn't click but from top to bottom, people made effort"
"In bowling also we bowled really well at times, we just fell short on a few occasions where we needed to click but couldn't. I spoke about fielding because if some catches were taken, they could've made a difference"
"As a player you're very disappointed at being out of the team and I'll say I was very frustrated also. Obviously you do think sometimes that it's unfair but at the same time, the team was also doing well. So I was downcast but I never gave up hope. Allah says that you get the fruit of your hard work and I feel that's what happened. When I found out, I was very happy and for a moment I was wondering if it was all real. Inzi bhai said you're going so I asked where am I going? He said there's a match in Pindi, then said obviously you're going to the World Cup"
"If we concede as few runs in the death overs as possible and take wickets and get the opposition out, it's best for Pakistan and that's what I'll try to do"
"The past is the past and we should look at the future now. If the coach said in the past that I wasn't a match-winner then I'll try to prove myself that that's not correct and that I can win matches. As a coach, obviously he wants results and he wants player who can win matches. So I want to be on that list"
"I always prayed that things happen as per whatever is best. If I was selected and I failed to perform, that would be bad as I wouldn't be able to fulfill expectations so I always prayed for whatever is best"
"Execution of reverse swing is very important so I'll go and work hard and practice"
"I'll try to perform so that I don't have to tweet again (to ask for forgiveness) and so that everyone says Wahab did well. If anyone didn't forgive me, hopefully they can do so"
"Any player wishes to play for his team, the World Cup is a big challenge and a chance to represent your team. Any player who was dropped from the squad will obviously be sad and frustrated at that but I was also thinking it's unfair that I was out of the team for 2 years so all these things are from Allah, my best wishes are with everybody. The coach, captain and selectors choose the team as they think is better for the team, I don't think they tried to hurt anyone personally"
"Critics usually focus on the negatives more and ignore the positives. I got 5 wickets against India in WC 2011 but in the other matches also I bowled well and got wickets. In 2015, I bowled a good spell against Watson but I don't think many will remember that I got 16 wickets and when we were eliminated from the tournament, I was third on the list of wicket-takers. My performances are such that I do contribute to the team and that's very important"
"Critics shouldn't heavily criticise on the basis of 1 match, sometimes you can go for runs in 1 match, it happens in cricket but that doesn't mean your skills and ability have finished. Sitting and criticising is easy"
"I have worked on my fitness, I have a personal trainer and I know what the facts and figures are of being part of the team and fitness is a big part of that. If my fitness isn't good, I can't be part of the team so I've worked hard even in Ramadan. First priority is fitness and if my fitness test is taken there, I think I'll pass with ease"
"Hasnain has pace and he'll gain experience, he can reverse the ball well and he troubles the batsmen. Once he gets used to conditions in England he'll do better, we'll try to share our experiences with him and work with him to make him even better"
"All the teams are strong and we need to play good cricket. You can't pinpoint 1 batsman as you don't know who will perform on the day"
"The format of the World Cup is the same as 1992 so any team who plays the SFs will have to play well throughout, you can't get to the SFs with a couple of good matches. You have to be consistent to get your place in the top 4. You can't say any team is a big favourite"
"We believe that duas make a difference and I am very thankful to my fans for speaking for me and for making duas. I want to request them to pray for all 15 players at the World Cup, we need your prayers and support. If we do well or badly, we need your support because without you, we're nothing. Every player wants to win the World Cup for their team, insha'Allah we will play not only the SF but also the final and we'll try our best to bring the World Cup to Pakistan"
)
mashallah 
