Has Wahab Riaz run out of fuel at international level?

[Mir jibran]

Surprised us all there. Getting better with age it seems

Hes here to stay till 2023 wc

 

[moghul]

Wahab should have been replaced by some younger bowler , but only if you have someone better or with some potential. If we only have useless bowlers like Musa, Faheem Ashraf and Harris Rauf, its better to persist with Wahab while searching for a younger bowler with potential.

 

[Rana]

I think retiring from Test Cricket was the right decision. He’s added a few years to his cricket this way

 

[PakPremi]

Haris Rauf and Musa are not useless,.They will get better the more they play, and the latter is quite young. Add to the mix Husnain and Naseem, Akif, Tabish K. There is plenty to work with but bowlers like Wahab need to be continued as he has been performing well for last two years, and we should use his forms to win matches. Bowlers like Fahim need to be discard, some who have no wicket taking ability or as proven in latter half of todays match match even containment ability when the pressure is on.

 

[shaz619]

Hes here to stay till 2023 wc

That would be surprising considering he would be 38 years old by then, definetly a lock for the World T20 in India and maybe in Australia to if fit and in good form but age is not on his side

 

[Pacy with wisdom]

This myth of him being a 'big match' player is likely to get busted very soon. He is a fluke bowler and most of his fluke performances have come in tournaments. Nonetheless, this really should be his last year in international cricket. He is legit one of the worst bowlers in the world and pure cannon-fodder.

You and your peshangoyaan.
Must love the taste of raw eggs, dont you?

 

[Mir jibran]

That would be surprising considering he would be 38 years old by then, definetly a lock for the World T20 in India and maybe in Australia to if fit and in good form but age is not on his side

See if he wasnt in PCB'S plan for 2023 wc then he would have been dropped from odi squad like hafeez.
Even he recently admitted that he aims to represent pakistan in 2023 wc and i think management too ll play him subject to his form and fitness

 

[shamaan]

How about also referring to the comment before your last comment in this thread.

Wahab should have been replaced by some younger bowler , but only if you have someone better or with some potential. If we only have useless bowlers like Musa, Faheem Ashraf and Harris Rauf, its better to persist with Wahab while searching for a younger bowler with potential.

Akif javed is decent but obviously very in experienced and is injuired at the moment

 

[shamaan]

Haris Rauf and Musa are not useless,.They will get better the more they play, and the latter is quite young. Add to the mix Husnain and Naseem, Akif, Tabish K. There is plenty to work with but bowlers like Wahab need to be continued as he has been performing well for last two years, and we should use his forms to win matches. Bowlers like Fahim need to be discard, some who have no wicket taking ability or as proven in latter half of todays match match even containment ability when the pressure is on.

Naseem should only play tests hes not fit enough to bowl in all formats.tabish is good bowler but hes to old now.

 

[shamaan]

That would be surprising considering he would be 38 years old by then, definetly a lock for the World T20 in India and maybe in Australia to if fit and in good form but age is not on his side

I think if he can keep his pace up and continue taking wickets he can play but 3 years is along time to continue performing

 

[shamaan]

See if he wasnt in PCB'S plan for 2023 wc then he would have been dropped from odi squad like hafeez.
Even he recently admitted that he aims to represent pakistan in 2023 wc and i think management too ll play him subject to his form and fitness

So it looks like ifti abid haris are part of the plans for 2023 as none of then have been dropped

 

[Mir jibran]

So it looks like ifti abid haris are part of the plans for 2023 as none of then have been dropped

Well if fitness permits i dont think so there is any reason to drop haris sohail
ifti and abid have just begun their odi career and can be dropped too
And if a senior that too a fast bowler is being played at 35 that means he is in the plans of management and now its all upto wahab how he ll perform against stronger sides

 

[Mamoon]

You and your peshangoyaan.
Must love the taste of raw eggs, dont you?

What did Wahab achieve? I think I must have slept through a series of match-winning spells against India, Australia, England, New Zealand etc.

Can you please help me out here?

 

[Bullet Drive]

What did Wahab achieve? I think I must have slept through a series of match-winning spells against India, Australia, England, New Zealand etc.

Can you please help me out here?

Averages 40+ against England, NZ, AUS, IND I'm sure.

 

[Pacy with wisdom]

What did Wahab achieve? I think I must have slept through a series of match-winning spells against India, Australia, England, New Zealand etc.

Can you please help me out here?

Well, if you are so hell bent on it, he did a fine job in last year's world cup including a match winning effort against england and played his role as a first change/ death bowler fairly well.
He won us a t20 against england too in the only match he got to play, if that is your criteria.
He is not an attacking new ball option, but does his job very well in the middle and the end.

You said it was going to be his last year when he has been bowling the best he has ever done in the last two years.

Anyone who has watched him bowl during all these years can tell this.

 

[Mamoon]

Well, if you are so hell bent on it, he did a fine job in last year's world cup including a match winning effort against england and played his role as a first change/ death bowler fairly well.
He won us a t20 against england too in the only match he got to play, if that is your criteria.
He is not an attacking new ball option, but does his job very well in the middle and the end.

You said it was going to be his last year when he has been bowling the best he has ever done in the last two years.

Anyone who has watched him bowl during all these years can tell this.

This is called clutching at straws. You came aggressively on the front foot but are now ducking for cover.

Wahab had a poor World Cup. One good game with the ball against a quality side doesn’t make a tournament. He averaged 36 and was destroyed by India. He was completely outperformed by Amir and Shaheen.

That T20 series vs England was a useless bilateral series with England playing an under-powered lineup with Roy, Buttler and Stokes missing.

Wahab has failed against quality teams more often than not, and nothing has changed since I made this post 3 years ago.

We might not even have fluked the Champions Trophy if he didn’t get injured in the opening game against India after getting hammered.

2017-18 should have been the end of Wahab in international cricket. At 32-33, with a failed career against the top sides, he should have been put out of his misery.

However, if PCB continues to drag his corpse out of his coffin, what can I do? Btw, I find it amusing that Pakistan is still relying on this 35-36 year old has been while the likes of you are claiming that we are overloaded with exciting young fast bowling talent at the moment.

If this young talents weren’t garbage PCB wouldn’t need to persist with a geezer who was never and will never be a top bowler.

If you really think Wahab is a big match player and has turned a corner and is bowling his best in the last 2 years, well you will get answer if Pakistan play 2-3 series against full-strength India, England, Australia or New Zealand.

 

[ask_analyse_act]

This guy has done nothing exceptional than that 2015 QF against Aus.

He avgs 35+ in ODI cricket and yet plays till 36 yrs is mind boggling. If he is Wasim Akram or Waqar or Akthar then I’m ok to have his expertises in white ball cricket even though at 36 yrs.

He is not even the standards of Umar gul ... he should be dropped for good and move on.

Bowlers avg 20s in domestic should be picked , domestic performers should be backed and given chances. This guy get hammered even in domestics, but gets selected in intl side.

 

[Kaddy]

This guy has done nothing exceptional than that 2015 QF against Aus.

He avgs 35+ in ODI cricket and yet plays till 36 yrs is mind boggling. If he is Wasim Akram or Waqar or Akthar then I’m ok to have his expertises in white ball cricket even though at 36 yrs.

He is not even the standards of Umar gul ... he should be dropped for good and move on.

Bowlers avg 20s in domestic should be picked , domestic performers should be backed and given chances. This guy get hammered even in domestics, but gets selected in intl side.

I think you are too harsh on Wahab.

I agree that he is not a world class or a great bowler but saying that 2015 QF is his only good performance is unfair.

The guy almost broke the infamous streak against India, but our legends 'MisYou' choked in 2011 world cup semi final and fielding didn't help either. Though it is his only good performance against India.

Not to forget that the guy almost single handedly saved Pakistan from an embarrassing defeat against Zimbabwe in 2015 world cup

He's generally a spray gun but gives some decent performances in between.

 

[jeeteshssaxena]

He is a spraygun.
Any top team will own him.

 

[Pacy with wisdom]

This is called clutching at straws. You came aggressively on the front foot but are now ducking for cover.

Wahab had a poor World Cup. One good game with the ball against a quality side doesn’t make a tournament. He averaged 36 and was destroyed by India. He was completely outperformed by Amir and Shaheen.

That T20 series vs England was a useless bilateral series with England playing an under-powered lineup with Roy, Buttler and Stokes missing.

Wahab has failed against quality teams more often than not, and nothing has changed since I made this post 3 years ago.

We might not even have fluked the Champions Trophy if he didn’t get injured in the opening game against India after getting hammered.

2017-18 should have been the end of Wahab in international cricket. At 32-33, with a failed career against the top sides, he should have been put out of his misery.

However, if PCB continues to drag his corpse out of his coffin, what can I do? Btw, I find it amusing that Pakistan is still relying on this 35-36 year old has been while the likes of you are claiming that we are overloaded with exciting young fast bowling talent at the moment.

If this young talents weren’t garbage PCB wouldn’t need to persist with a geezer who was never and will never be a top bowler.

If you really think Wahab is a big match player and has turned a corner and is bowling his best in the last 2 years, well you will get answer if Pakistan play 2-3 series against full-strength India, England, Australia or New Zealand.

Yes he has been obliterated by India, but on those occasions he just didnt bowl well enough. Like the rest of the team, he lost it mentally and his technical issues got more pronounced as a result.

In the world cup, he was better than Amir, who I believe was extremely lucky with most of the wickets he picked up; That 5-fer against Australia was the most undeserved that I can think of.

Wahab on the other hand provided much more impact with his spells and provided great control at the death. Stats may not reflect that, but I saw those games and I know how much of a difference he made to our side which was struggling in that area.

Let's get it straight; Wahab is a bowler with limited ability, especially when it comes to the attacking skills; swinging the ball and pitching it up.
However, his defensive bowling skills are better than the most accomplished bowlers in world cricket today.
His present version wouldnt be smashed like cummins in the IPL if he comes in late in the innings and gets it to reverse.

In recent times, he has added a dimension to his bowling with that behind the umpire run up from the around the wicket, which makes him a lot more effective with the old ball.
With the semi new ball, his wrist-position has changed a lot. It is now behind the ball, seam is also a lot more upright which is different to that saucer release with the fingers running to the side that he had in times gone by.
You are witness to this in play when he got the ball to swing in to Watson in this year's PSL.
I remember you commenting how Mohammad Akram was the first guy to make Wahab swing the ball.
This is why he is gettimg a lot more bounce from a length than he did previously.

And yes we need him atm, because he offers good value, and most of the new guys have ability but are raw. This is the usual process. Players develop, and dont just appear.
You like to dismiss anybody that isnt a finished article, because you dont make allowance for a Pakistani player's growth, and I think you are justified in that given what has transpired in tge last 15 years.

However, as I said before times are changing for Pakistan cricket, because now there is a concerted effort being put in to improve things. Already we are seeing divine help with raw talent emerging, which in itself was nonexistent 5,6 years ago.

All you need to do now is put off your glasses of cynicism because i can assure you that in 5 years time, thimgs will be different, InshaAllah.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

Don't really rate him or like him as a player but can't fault his heart. He legit gives his all and is extremely fit for his age.

Ever since PSL, he has become a very reliable death overs bowler and more often than not gets the ball to tail in or out at death.

Regardless of that, I don't necessarily think a bowler who averages 34 in 80+ ODIs is a good bowler. He still struggles and is not much impactful during the powerplay or middle overs. An in form Hassan Ali is a better package than him as he is better in the middle overs.

I think Tests was his stronger suit especially with tests coming back to Pakistan, reverse swing will definitely be at play more than it is in UAE. Also can't fault for his energetic spells in Tests in UAE during 2010-2019. esp that spell against england in 2nd test 2015.

I still rate Junaid Khan higher than him as a bowler though who replaced him in CT17 and rightfully so, and was the unsung hero of our team throughout.

 

[MenInG]

Inzamam on Wahab Riaz:

"Wahab Riaz has the problem that unless the ball is reversing and is old, he is ineffective; Every time he has been asked to bowl at the top-order, his performance has not been that good"

"This is a moment of reflection for Pakistan that whilst we have 2 good bowlers in Wahab and Haris, both bowlers need to work with Waqar and learn about this"

 

[Pacy with wisdom]

Inzamam on Wahab Riaz:

"Wahab Riaz has the problem that unless the ball is reversing and is old, he is ineffective; Every time he has been asked to bowl at the top-order, his performance has not been that good"

"This is a moment of reflection for Pakistan that whilst we have 2 good bowlers in Wahab and Haris, both bowlers need to work with Waqar and learn about this"

Non current and lazy views on wahab.
He has improved leaps and bounds with the semi new ball in the last 2 years.
Arm and release are almost perpendicular unlike before.

 

[shamaan]

Well if fitness permits i dont think so there is any reason to drop haris sohail
ifti and abid have just begun their odi career and can be dropped too
And if a senior that too a fast bowler is being played at 35 that means he is in the plans of management and now its all upto wahab how he ll perform against stronger sides

Haris is a good player like you said but I dont think he will last until 2023 but I hope am wrong .ifti hasnt really performed in odis he done decent in t20s thou as for abid we have more dynamic batters than him and he isnt that good against spin bearing in mind were the next world cup is being played.wahab is constantly putting up performances in bowling and leading the bowling attack and is stil bowling fast.

 

[Mamoon]

This myth of him being a 'big match' player is likely to get busted very soon. He is a fluke bowler and most of his fluke performances have come in tournaments. Nonetheless, this really should be his last year in international cricket. He is legit one of the worst bowlers in the world and pure cannon-fodder.

You and your peshangoyaan.
Must love the taste of raw eggs, dont you?

What did Wahab achieve? I think I must have slept through a series of match-winning spells against India, Australia, England, New Zealand etc.

Can you please help me out here?

Well, if you are so hell bent on it, he did a fine job in last year's world cup including a match winning effort against england and played his role as a first change/ death bowler fairly well.
He won us a t20 against england too in the only match he got to play, if that is your criteria.
He is not an attacking new ball option, but does his job very well in the middle and the end.

You said it was going to be his last year when he has been bowling the best he has ever done in the last two years.

Anyone who has watched him bowl during all these years can tell this.

This is called clutching at straws. You came aggressively on the front foot but are now ducking for cover.

Wahab had a poor World Cup. One good game with the ball against a quality side doesn’t make a tournament. He averaged 36 and was destroyed by India. He was completely outperformed by Amir and Shaheen.

That T20 series vs England was a useless bilateral series with England playing an under-powered lineup with Roy, Buttler and Stokes missing.

Wahab has failed against quality teams more often than not, and nothing has changed since I made this post 3 years ago.

We might not even have fluked the Champions Trophy if he didn’t get injured in the opening game against India after getting hammered.

2017-18 should have been the end of Wahab in international cricket. At 32-33, with a failed career against the top sides, he should have been put out of his misery.

However, if PCB continues to drag his corpse out of his coffin, what can I do? Btw, I find it amusing that Pakistan is still relying on this 35-36 year old has been while the likes of you are claiming that we are overloaded with exciting young fast bowling talent at the moment.

If this young talents weren’t garbage PCB wouldn’t need to persist with a geezer who was never and will never be a top bowler.

If you really think Wahab is a big match player and has turned a corner and is bowling his best in the last 2 years, well you will get answer if Pakistan play 2-3 series against full-strength India, England, Australia or New Zealand.

Yes he has been obliterated by India, but on those occasions he just didnt bowl well enough. Like the rest of the team, he lost it mentally and his technical issues got more pronounced as a result.

In the world cup, he was better than Amir, who I believe was extremely lucky with most of the wickets he picked up; That 5-fer against Australia was the most undeserved that I can think of.

Wahab on the other hand provided much more impact with his spells and provided great control at the death. Stats may not reflect that, but I saw those games and I know how much of a difference he made to our side which was struggling in that area.

Let's get it straight; Wahab is a bowler with limited ability, especially when it comes to the attacking skills; swinging the ball and pitching it up.
However, his defensive bowling skills are better than the most accomplished bowlers in world cricket today.
His present version wouldnt be smashed like cummins in the IPL if he comes in late in the innings and gets it to reverse.

In recent times, he has added a dimension to his bowling with that behind the umpire run up from the around the wicket, which makes him a lot more effective with the old ball.
With the semi new ball, his wrist-position has changed a lot. It is now behind the ball, seam is also a lot more upright which is different to that saucer release with the fingers running to the side that he had in times gone by.
You are witness to this in play when he got the ball to swing in to Watson in this year's PSL.
I remember you commenting how Mohammad Akram was the first guy to make Wahab swing the ball.
This is why he is gettimg a lot more bounce from a length than he did previously.

And yes we need him atm, because he offers good value, and most of the new guys have ability but are raw. This is the usual process. Players develop, and dont just appear.
You like to dismiss anybody that isnt a finished article, because you dont make allowance for a Pakistani player's growth, and I think you are justified in that given what has transpired in tge last 15 years.

However, as I said before times are changing for Pakistan cricket, because now there is a concerted effort being put in to improve things. Already we are seeing divine help with raw talent emerging, which in itself was nonexistent 5,6 years ago.

All you need to do now is put off your glasses of cynicism because i can assure you that in 5 years time, thimgs will be different, InshaAllah.

Non current and lazy views on wahab.
He has improved leaps and bounds with the semi new ball in the last 2 years.
Arm and release are almost perpendicular unlike before.

As I have told you many times, I know the reality of Pakistan cricket like the back of my hand, so please don’t try to impress me with some pseudo technical knowhow about perpendicular arm release and “saucer” release and bla bla.

You can only fool people who know nothing about cricket and especially Pakistan cricket.

Great job, Wahab. We can all see the improvement.

 

[Rana]

This guy is like a Cristopher Nolan movie

You never know what to expect from him and his career

 

[Greenstorm]

He doesn't look completely fit on this series.

 

[Rana]

Before this, I thought he was the best T20 bowler in Pakistan. Very disappointing

 

[coy0607]

Wahab in T20I since 2019
9 matches, 6 wickets, average of 41, economy of 9

but keep playing the 36 year old washed-up spray gun

 

[KoyoAli]

Surprisingly made part of the Shaheens t20 squad against NZ A. Mind-Boggling decision.

 

[Pacy with wisdom]

As I have told you many times, I know the reality of Pakistan cricket like the back of my hand, so please don’t try to impress me with some pseudo technical knowhow about perpendicular arm release and “saucer” release and bla bla.

You can only fool people who know nothing about cricket and especially Pakistan cricket.

Great job, Wahab. We can all see the improvement.

Haan bhai?
Watching him swing the new ball, or was everything I said, some "pseudo-analysis"?
Has he ever got a right hander bowled with inswing like he he is doing currently?
Currently, he is the only bowler who is getting it to swing. Even your much beloved Amir isnt getting any.

It is a shame that he has learnt this at the fag end of his career when he has lost a bit of pace and hunger.
He still doesnt have command over length and has an average bowling IQ which means he will still get a caning here or there.
However, there is no doubt that his skills in isolation have improved substantially.