Is Wahab Riaz a bad bowler?

In hind site, maybe Misbah pulled him out at the right time, he may have gone for a big over in the 5th, who's to know. But the flip side is he is in the team as a strike bowler....
 
7.0-44-0 at 6.28

14 overs in the last over.

He's not awful, per say, but really inconsistent and really expensive...how is he different than Gul (economy and wicket wise)?

Should have gone for A. Rehman or someone else .
 
To be fair his first spell was nice and tidy. He was bowling around the wicket which was a good ploy and i think this is how he needs to operate to right handers because lets face it he doesnt have an inswinger and bowling the natural left arm angle doesnt work for him. But when he operated around the wicket he tied the batsmen up but when he bowled from his natural angle he got tonked. Something he needs to note.
 
He was not slower than Irfan, he touched 149 km/hr.

But Sami bowls around the same speed.

Goes for almost the same economy and wickets also.

When Gul bowled well in his opening spell (Im not a Gul fan in the ODIs/Test) his fanboys were writing him off..my main point is that he is really inconsistent.

They said he cant bowl with the new ball, but he aint doing nothing with the old either. Since 2 new balls are used, dont think he will be as useful.
 
But Sami bowls around the same speed.

Goes for almost the same economy and wickets also.

When Gul bowled well in his opening spell (Im not a Gul fan in the ODIs/Test) his fanboys were writing him off..my main point is that he is really inconsistent.

They said he cant bowl with the new ball, but he aint doing nothing with the old either. Since 2 new balls are used, dont think he will be as useful.

Gul has had an extended run and shown no improvement. It would be unfair to dump Riaz with 2-3 games. He needs a decent and consistent run before we can pass judgement. The fact he bowls at 140-145 km/hr is promising enough, if guided properly he can wickets for us as well.
 
One match wonder is Wahab.

Bowled like a champ in that WC match against India and since then he has been awful. He should be dropped for good. I am sure Pak can find better bowlers than him.
 
Gul has had an extended run and shown no improvement. It would be unfair to dump Riaz with 2-3 games. He needs a decent and consistent run before we can pass judgement. The fact he bowls at 140-145 km/hr is promising enough, if guided properly he can wickets for us as well.

Gul should have never been in the team for that long...but the way Wahab bowls doesnt look too promising either.
 
3 games he lost us is enough.

Irfan bowled 148 kph, so did Junaid.

Wahab Riaz is at the same speed as them and is a leftie too.

He should be thrown out.
 
Re: Wahab Riaz You are Awful!! [Merged]

No wickets whole series lol. Wicketless, expensive but he is a terrific bat isn't he?
 
He bowled an excellent first spell.

The later spell was when the game was up. I think bowling as a round the wicket bowler mainly is a better tactic.

He should bowl as quick as poss and hit the pitch hard.

He will be a handful given more games. A must in English conditions with Irfan and Junaid.

The issue is our batting.
 
Even commies were talking that he does every thing right but is gun barrel straight.why just why :Jhonson
 
Floaty Ehsan Adil?

People need to watch some of Wasim Akram early in the 1992 World Cup. Even in the final we bowled plenty of wides and no balls.

The guy is a starter down under for the WC with Irfan and Junaid. Nasir, Shahzad, umar Akmal and umar salahuddin would be starters too
 
Floaty Ehsan Adil?

People need to watch some of Wasim Akram early in the 1992 World Cup. Even in the final we bowled plenty of wides and no balls.

The guy is a starter down under for the WC with Irfan and Junaid. Nasir, Shahzad, umar Akmal and umar salahuddin would be starters too

At least he had a decent seam position, swing and was in early twenties.

Riaz is a 143 kph canon fodder.

Irfan+JD+Riaz in the same team=Fail

Irfan is a 10x improved version of Riaz.
 
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As I asked in this match and the game where he was plastered for 90 odd runs, what are Wahab's qualities other than the apparent 'pace' he has - which btw isn't express nor that quicker than Junaid/Irfan?

Bowls straight, no bowling brain, height of 'aggression' is a stare at the batsman, control is there 1/5 games, extras galore and evidently a slow learner with little/no improvement over five years international experience.

I liked Wahab a couple of years ago, he had potential with the old ball and had a bit of bite to his bowling with bouncers and good full bowling.. even a good slower ball. Since the WC he has been utter crap, bowled some of the most pathetic filth in the Asia Cup game against India, got slaughtered in the 3rd ODI here which cost Pakistan the game and clearly inspires very little confidence in his captain, often getting a few overs - whilst not looking that threatening. Where has the old ball bowling gone? Is his yorker buried alongside Umar Gul's?

He's no youngster either, going on 28, these are his PEAK years and yet he still doesn't even know how to get people out other than relying on batsmen making mistakes against his straight bowling, angling across every single time. I believe he can still win the odd game on a rare chance where all will be forgotten but for each of those instances you'll get a Joberg performance which concedes a huge, huge total. Not worth the investment imo. You can't keep the rose tinted glasses on just because players have had highly memorable performances against India, Pakistan continued to make the same mistake with Akmal and now want to do it with Wahab also.
 
Good point but three games is not enough to judge him.

If he plays some county cricket again, I reckon a good stint will make him a good weapon for us.

I do agree his Yorker has gone array- but that will return with game time. Fast bowlers only get into rhythm by bowling which is what Wahab had barely done for Pakistan regularly for 2-3 years
 
Irfan vs Riaz:

-Lefties

-Same Pace

-Same age

-More bouce for Iffy

-More swing for Iffy
 
I think Pakistan are experts in chopping and changing randomly where it isn't needed and we include older products past their sell by dates.

Work with Wahab. Get the coaches working on his seam position. It needs only minor adjustments to make him the quality bowler he should be
 
I think Pakistan are experts in chopping and changing randomly where it isn't needed and we include older products past their sell by dates.

Work with Wahab. Get the coaches working on his seam position. It needs only minor adjustments to make him the quality bowler he should be

Wahab Riaz is past his sell by date, he is already 27 and can't swing it 1 inch. And he is slower than Irfan or Junaid
 
I think Wahab Riaz has a much brighter future than Farhat, Malik and some others!
 
Swing and Seam are what you expect from a 140 to 145 kph trundler who is only 6 ft 2.

Why can't you understand this? He is a leftie. We have two of them who:

-Swing and seam more than Riaz
-Have same pace as Riaz
-Are more accurate than Riaz
-Bowl better yorkers than him
-One is 1ft taller than Riaz

And we have plethoric population of talented lefties in our domestic.

Riaz is garbage and should never play for pak again.
 
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As I asked in this match and the game where he was plastered for 90 odd runs, what are Wahab's qualities other than the apparent 'pace' he has - which btw isn't express nor that quicker than Junaid/Irfan?

Bowls straight, no bowling brain, height of 'aggression' is a stare at the batsman, control is there 1/5 games, extras galore and evidently a slow learner with little/no improvement over five years international experience.

I liked Wahab a couple of years ago, he had potential with the old ball and had a bit of bite to his bowling with bouncers and good full bowling.. even a good slower ball. Since the WC he has been utter crap, bowled some of the most pathetic filth in the Asia Cup game against India, got slaughtered in the 3rd ODI here which cost Pakistan the game and clearly inspires very little confidence in his captain, often getting a few overs - whilst not looking that threatening. Where has the old ball bowling gone? Is his yorker buried alongside Umar Gul's?

He's no youngster either, going on 28, these are his PEAK years and yet he still doesn't even know how to get people out other than relying on batsmen making mistakes against his straight bowling, angling across every single time. I believe he can still win the odd game on a rare chance where all will be forgotten but for each of those instances you'll get a Joberg performance which concedes a huge, huge total. Not worth the investment imo. You can't keep the rose tinted glasses on just because players have had highly memorable performances against India, Pakistan continued to make the same mistake with Akmal and now want to do it with Wahab also.

This is too harsh. For one i dont think Misbah confidence should really matter. Misbah's captaincy, selections, field placements and handling of players is for everyone to see.

For your info Wahab took 9/59 in domestic cricket and put in solid performances to get a recall. I remember people were crying during the test series for Wahab Riaz seeing Tanvir grunt in at 120 km/hr.

Yes Wahab has weaknesses, i think his first spell was good where he bowled around the wicket and tucked the batsmen up. He doesnt have an inswinger so he should work around this but if we can give Gul an unlimited unthreatened run in the side then lets not discard Wahab only after 3 games.

Wahab has pace and that needs to be nurtured provided he has people helping him out as well.
 
OK enough chances for him , we have plethora of left hand bowlers in our domestic circuit , time to give his spot to some other talented youngster.
 
I think this is his last game for a while, I would have him in my odi team if ICC remove the 2 new balls rule.

However with this new rule we don't need either gul or wahab rather a new ball bowling all rounder someone like anwar ali.
 
This is too harsh. For one i dont think Misbah confidence should really matter. Misbah's captaincy, selections, field placements and handling of players is for everyone to see.

For your info Wahab took 9/59 in domestic cricket and put in solid performances to get a recall. I remember people were crying during the test series for Wahab Riaz seeing Tanvir grunt in at 120 km/hr.

Yes Wahab has weaknesses, i think his first spell was good where he bowled around the wicket and tucked the batsmen up. He doesnt have an inswinger so he should work around this but if we can give Gul an unlimited unthreatened run in the side then lets not discard Wahab only after 3 games.

Wahab has pace and that needs to be nurtured provided he has people helping him out as well.

Whatever other drawbacks of Misbah's captaincy are not relevant, that's a simple strawman attack. Any captain's lack of confidence in Wahab would be justified. Before this tour he was hit for 47 in 7 overs against England and then for 50 in 4 (yes four) overs against India in the Asia Cup including a number of extras.

Pakistani domestic cricket tells you very little, it's a lottery - relevant case in point, look how well Sohail Tanvir does. In internationals, Wahab is approaching TTF status at an alarming rate.

The Gul comparison is worthless, for a start he started much younger (and there isn't much of an age gap between himself and Wahab now either FYI) and had many more tools than current Riaz at that earlier phase which suggested he was an investment. Repayed that by being a consistent wicket taker in ODIs before his recent slump.

Wahab has been 'nurtured' for 5 years and what does he have to show for it? Tell me what he's improved on, convince me.
 
He can be our Tino BEst in TEst Cricket.........:p...............IN Odi's he is not needed as 2 new balls dont suit him
 
Whatever other drawbacks of Misbah's captaincy are not relevant, that's a simple strawman attack. Any captain's lack of confidence in Wahab would be justified. Before this tour he was hit for 47 in 7 overs against England and then for 50 in 4 (yes four) overs against India in the Asia Cup including a number of extras.

Pakistani domestic cricket tells you very little, it's a lottery - relevant case in point, look how well Sohail Tanvir does. In internationals, Wahab is approaching TTF status at an alarming rate.

The Gul comparison is worthless, for a start he started much younger (and there isn't much of an age gap between himself and Wahab now either FYI) and had many more tools than current Riaz at that earlier phase which suggested he was an investment. Repayed that by being a consistent wicket taker in ODIs before his recent slump.

Wahab has been 'nurtured' for 5 years and what does he have to show for it? Tell me what he's improved on, convince me.

Well if he has pace for one he can be a handful. My simple point was you cannot bring back a player and drop him after one bad game. Yes he bowled poorly in that ODI game against India and then was benched, he bowled poorly against SA thank goodness wasnt benched again. Lets give him a consistent run of 10 games and then lets see how he does once the nerves are out of the way.

I am no die hard hard core fan of Wahab but fans here need to stop being fickle and impatient. When Rahat and Tanvir were bowling in the test series everyone was like where is Wahab and now everyone wants to discard him for one bad game.

Wahab has not been nurtured for 5 years. He only got a regular place in 2010 and has a 5 wicket haul against England and India. These are signs he can deliver for Pakistan. For wierd reasons he was dropped in 2011 and now has to worry about being dropped whenever he comes back.

If he has pace he can take wickets provided the captain gives him a slip against a new batsman like AB gave a chance in the slips of Wahab today. Anyways lets give him a good 7-10 games before we pass further judgement. I am tired of people putting up with Gul's eternal mediocrity but calling for anothers head after 1-3 bad outings.
 
he played after a VERY long time. Needs to be played more consistently and im confident he'll become a valuable asset for the team
 
I share the same surname as him & so always want him to do well.

But alas he is mediocre, any other Riaz's out there to take his place?
 
With 2 new balls being used..dont know how useful he will be with that...I think he relies more on the old ball doing tricks. I mean swinging and seaming is one thing, one should have control over their line and length.
 
Well if he has pace for one he can be a handful. My simple point was you cannot bring back a player and drop him after one bad game. Yes he bowled poorly in that ODI game against India and then was benched, he bowled poorly against SA thank goodness wasnt benched again. Lets give him a consistent run of 10 games and then lets see how he does once the nerves are out of the way.

I am no die hard hard core fan of Wahab but fans here need to stop being fickle and impatient. When Rahat and Tanvir were bowling in the test series everyone was like where is Wahab and now everyone wants to discard him for one bad game.

Wahab has not been nurtured for 5 years. He only got a regular place in 2010 and has a 5 wicket haul against England and India. These are signs he can deliver for Pakistan. For wierd reasons he was dropped in 2011 and now has to worry about being dropped whenever he comes back.

If he has pace he can take wickets provided the captain gives him a slip against a new batsman like AB gave a chance in the slips of Wahab today. Anyways lets give him a good 7-10 games before we pass further judgement. I am tired of people putting up with Gul's eternal mediocrity but calling for anothers head after 1-3 bad outings.
Yes, Wahab has been nurtured for 5 years. Being part of the first XI is not a requirement for this. In fact, I'd say he got a better deal than most - was given a taste of international cricket under his friend's (Malik) captaincy, was back on the fringe due to better choices available (Akhtar, Asif, Gul), started to become a consistent squad member in 08, spend 09 away from the first XI (due to getting hit in internationals) BUT was invested in as the leading fast bowler in Pakistan A's tour to Australia upon which he was recalled. DID get a consistent run in the side V SA, V NZ, in the WC and in the WI up until now and his bowling since the WC has regressed shockingly.

Like I said where is the more-accurate-than-now Wahab who could bowl well at the death and would fire in yorkers now? Haven't seen him since the WC. He's almost 28 so when will he learn if he's going backwards and has already had several opportunities to learn? This reminds me of the rationale and excuses people give poor, poor Sami who was so talunted with his pace yet never learnt a thing about bowling despite playing with great fast bowlers.
 
Really disappointed with wahab. This guy has so much potential and talent.

Sad to see 2 new comers out-bowling him, I Really wanted to see him bowl well and cement his place in the team but he has been pretty ordinary, No swing at all. Wahab was pretty much Gun barrel straight today and against good teams he will struggle big time. He has shown zero signs of improvement and is on his way to become the new sami.
 
Re: Wahab Riaz You are Awful!! [Merged]

BTW, if you are a pacer and a super-mega-ultra fast one at that, and couldn't take a single flippin' wicket in South Africa, where even likes of Munaf Patel take wickets, you are inexcusably bad.
 
Wahab Riaz's Performance in South Africa

overs = 21
runs = 154
wicket = 2
ave = 77
eco = 7.33
sr = 63

do u still think he is good bowler ?

nw see his batting

ings = 3
runs = 57
avg = 19
sr = 70

do u still think he is all rounder ?


the bottom line is that will you give wahab another chance in playing 11 ?

my answer is NO

i will bring abdul razzaq(or any other better allrounder suggestion are welcome) in place or riaz in CT ,
because pitch in england will favour swing bowler like razzaq and he is big hitter and decent finisher it will make our tail shorter and batting stronger.
 
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Many people here believe that razzak is no longer good. I know he is lazy, looks like a liability in the field but he is way way better LOI batsman and a reliable hitter than younis khan, afridi, farhat or misbah. He has nerves of steel and doesnt feel the pressure.. His bowling cannot be worse than afridi, its a guarantee that he would atleast pick up 3-4 wickets in a 5 match series which afridi failed to do.. If he is selected, i know it would be a step backwards, but he is not a bad option.
 
Re: wahab riyaz in SA tour

He needs an extended run.

It's just like to case of Alam and Junior Akmal.

Without an extended run that less deserving players somehow get... It's hard to judge.

I'm a believer in Wahab. I think he can come good. Raw pace. Just needs more games and some mentoring.
 
He needs an extended run.

It's just like to case of Alam and Junior Akmal.

Without an extended run that less deserving players somehow get... It's hard to judge.

I'm a believer in Wahab. I think he can come good. Raw pace. Just needs more games and some mentoring.
SA pitches were suitable for wahab bowling ,
if he fail in SA then what are you expecting with him in england ?
he is useles his raw pace is useless without line , length , control and swin.
if you wana give long run then give long run to adil and anwar ali they will groom , learn and become better player.
 
Many people here believe that razzak is no longer good. I know he is lazy, looks like a liability in the field but he is way way better LOI batsman and a reliable hitter than younis khan, afridi, farhat or misbah. He has nerves of steel and doesnt feel the pressure.. His bowling cannot be worse than afridi, its a guarantee that he would atleast pick up 3-4 wickets in a 5 match series which afridi failed to do.. If he is selected, i know it would be a step backwards, but he is not a bad option.
razzaq is still best medium pace all rounder we have ,
he is best finisher we have,
he is one of the best hitter we have,
he must be in the team in place of wahab or malik.
 
He's definitely got ability but his line and length needs working on although it's either him or Irfan a right handed seam bowler is required E Adil should've been tried or Hammad Azam.
 
He's definitely got ability but his line and length needs working on although it's either him or Irfan a right handed seam bowler is required E Adil should've been tried or Hammad Azam.
yup you are right either wahab or irfan should be selected .

so whom will you select ?

i will go with irfan any day.
 
Too early to say. Fans are being harsh. He went to domestic cricket and performed. You have to give a player an extended run like at least an entire 1-2 series before you drop them, you certainly cannot drop them after 1-2 games.
 
has razzaq played any cricket at all after being left out if the team?
 
Too early to say. Fans are being harsh. He went to domestic cricket and performed. You have to give a player an extended run like at least an entire 1-2 series before you drop them, you certainly cannot drop them after 1-2 games.
one series lost is not enough for u ?
you wana take this crap in champions trophy ?
if yes then dnt dream of wining with this crap in ur playing 11.
 
What i've seen of him in this series is that he can be out Tino Best in Test matches.......thats it nothing else if.........looks like that even Rahat is better than him as we can swing it both ways
 
What i've seen of him in this series is that he can be out Tino Best in Test matches.......thats it nothing else if.........looks like that even Rahat is better than him as we can swing it both ways
yup rahat is better then riaz ,
rahat can bring the ball into the right hander.
 
Yup with his pace can be handful against Bangla n Zim in Tests.........
lolz
well the truth is that after
akhter
asif
n
amir
we havnt got ne quality fast bowler for test matches.
irfan is not fit for test and junaid is not that good if he cnt ball inswinger to right handers.
rahat dont hav control.
 
Re: Wahab Riaz's Performance in South Africa

one series lost is not enough for u ?
you wana take this crap in champions trophy ?
if yes then dnt dream of wining with this crap in ur playing 11.

Riaz had one bad game in the 3rd ODI. But its not like he cost us the series. People should stop being arm chair critics and not pass judgements on players hastily.

This was his comeback, should get an extended run before he is dropped.
 
lolz
well the truth is that after
akhter
asif
n
amir
we havnt got ne quality fast bowler for test matches.
irfan is not fit for test and junaid is not that good if he cnt ball inswinger to right handers.
rahat dont hav control.

I'm talking about Wahab.......as with red ball there will be some reverse for him
 
Riaz had one bad game in the 3rd ODI. But its not like he cost us the series. People should stop being arm chair critics and not pass judgements on players hastily.

This was his comeback, should get an extended run before he is dropped.
in the forth odi he just ball 4 overs and get out on duck ,
in the final again his economy was 7run per over an he was wicketless,
he was unable to build presure .
he is not a new comer he is around for a while nw we should give chance to mohd aftab, anwar ali , ehsan adil in odi.
 
in the forth odi he just ball 4 overs and get out on duck ,
in the final again his economy was 7run per over an he was wicketless,
he was unable to build presure .
he is not a new comer he is around for a while nw we should give chance to mohd aftab, anwar ali , ehsan adil in odi.

Sure give a chance to whoever but stop calling for bowlers heads after just 1-2 bad games. No body can perform or deliver like this if they get dumped without being given an extended run.

In the final ODI he created a chance where ABD edged to the slips but our brilliant captain gave him no slip and Wahab bowled his first 4 overs for 15 runs. If you drop a player like ABD then obviously he will make you pay and all the bowlers pay.
 
im gonna say it again, since the 2 new ball rule he is as bad if not worse than the likes of Dinda
 
Look what happens when new players play.

Junaid Khan, Mohammed Irfan and today Asad Ali.
 
WOW surprise

He comes with another pathetic performance, I have no hope from this guy.

useless fellow
 
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Where are Alberto and BD now?
Hopefully this is his last match for Pakistan
 
Wahab should seriously consider getting injured and be replaced by Sami. Atleast the latter has more pace.

Junaid, Irfan, Ali and Ajmal should be the bowling for the Champions Trophy.
 
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