Has Wahab Riaz lost pace now?

[Savak]

He is already 33 years old. He was bowling at around 81-85 mph which is well below the 88-92 mph mark he was operating in 2015-16.

I think the years of toil in international and domestic cricket along with his age have finally now resulted in wear and tear.

Or maybe he was bowling within himself on a flat unresponsive surface. I don't think he will be that effective bowling at that pace as reverse swing at 81-85 mph is easier to deal with in comparison to 88-92 mph.

 

[ARK Rafay]

Yea I didn't see him bowl over 140+ KPH consistently. Which he used to does.

 

[Boi]

Havent caught much of this Test but if he doesn't crank it up 2nd innings there is no real point of him. Hes probably finished.

 

[hitthestump]

I wonder why he was recalled in that case? Never rated AGGRESSIVE personally, at 33 this surely should be his final failed comeback for Pakistan.

 

[Abid Z]

Im not a fan of Spray gun wahab but i have to say he has bowled very well in this test without much result. Yes the pace is down to around 135kph but he did crank it up to 145 quite often. Bowled tidy lines and lengths and got some good reverse swing. Obviously looks rusty but his economy has been around 2.5 which is quite good for him (or anybody) obviously when others around him are taking wickets and keeping it tight it help but credit where it is due...not his normal useless self.

 

[Last Monetarist]

What I don't understand is why Wahab was recalled to the test team ? Has he been performing brilliantly in domestic cricket ?

All I see is that he was playing for Barbados in the CPL and took 9 wickets in 9 matches, hardly earth-shattering figures.

It's mystifying to say the least.

 

[PakSarZameen]

Im not a fan of Spray gun wahab but i have to say he has bowled very well in this test without much result. Yes the pace is down to around 135kph but he did crank it up to 145 quite often. Bowled tidy lines and lengths and got some good reverse swing. Obviously looks rusty but his economy has been around 2.5 which is quite good for him (or anybody) obviously when others around him are taking wickets and keeping it tight it help but credit where it is due...not his normal useless self.

Agreed. Thought he bowled really well, especially today. I was surprised Sarfraz brought Yasir on when Wahab was getting so much reverse swing. Yasir looked completely out of sorts.

 

[QalandarFan]

Bowled well today.

 

[FastBowlingAllrounder]

Seems to be bowling within himself rather than reduced pace due to age. Probably realised that a higher pace will result in inaccuracy and therefore him being kicked out of team again. Maybe its comeback pressure?

 

[Pete Rose]

I dont think he is a test class bowler be it UAE or anywhere else. His supposed benefit is that he can come in these abrasive conditions and bowl a mix of bouncers and pitched up reverse swing deliveries to break a big stand. His new ball bowling skills are also poor.

All in all - he is a mediocre bowler, but after the spanking Pakistan got in the asia cup, there are a couple of personnel who have staged come backs due to media pressures. Hafeez and Wahab fit that bill.

 

[MenInG]

Wahab Riaz all over the place this morning.

Waqar saying he needs more match practice so should not be dropped for next game

 

[MenInG]

Strange field for Wahab?

 

[shah_1]

He is bowling in low 130s


Time to say goodbye

 

[shah_1]

Seems to be bowling within himself rather than reduced pace due to age. Probably realised that a higher pace will result in inaccuracy and therefore him being kicked out of team again. Maybe its comeback pressure?

He is a nothing bowler without pace

 

[MenInG]

What is the point of playing Wahab in this Test when he cannot take wickets - needs to do something big here

 

[Abid Z]

What is the point of playing Wahab in this Test when he cannot take wickets - needs to do something big here

I’m not his fan but we have to be fair and patient. If you line up our front line bowlers, wahab, amir, junaid, rahat and hasan prior to the test. The one most likely to get a wicket would be wahab. Unfortunately he’s not as good in the 2nd innings as he was in first. But the Aussie’s have kept out some absolute Jaffa’s too. Such is life he has to put in hard toil.

 

[Abdullah719]

 

[BlackShadow]

He is doing better than the 2017 trundling, probably motivated to regain his spot.

Still, the pace is not good enough given his lack of skills with the ball. Shaheen deserves a place ahead of him.

 

[gazza619]

Whose call was it call back Wahab? That person should be fired.

 

[Invincible Gujjar]

His pace has been decent in this innings averaging 138ks.He just doesn't look 100% fit to me.in t20s he was bowling 150ks not long ago.

 

[shokz1408]

His pace has been decent in this innings averaging 138ks.He just doesn't look 100% fit to me.in t20s he was bowling 150ks not long ago.

When you have to do it for 4 overs instead of bowling throughout a test match, then of course you can expect him to bowl faster in a short burst.