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Wahab Riaz announces retirement from international cricket

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Pakistan fast bowler Wahab Riaz announced his retirement from international cricket on Wednesday, August 16. The left-arm pacer will continue to play franchise-based cricket across the globe after deciding to bid adieu to the game at the highest level at the age of 38.

Wahab Riaz, who played 27 Tests, 91 ODIs and 36 T20Is, picked 237 international wickets. He last played for Pakistan in December 2020. The senior pacer, however, played the Pakistan Super League as recently as March this year.
 
So what is Wahab's legacy in international cricket?
 
When he burst into scene in 2010 he looked like a genuine talent but his career never took off

But i have my respect for him to bending his back on the dead pitches of uae especially in test matches .
 
He has some memorable spell but unfortunately pak won none of it .Champions trophy 2013 against west indies Mohali 2011 against india and pak vs aus in 2015 worldcup
 
A pointless announcement by a pointless player who was mostly poor throughout his career.
 
Loved him for that first ball golden duck moment against Yuvraj Singh. One of the best moments in Pakistan cricket history
 
An ok bowler. Was quite good in his early days. Remember his debut in 2008 when him and other new bowlers were tried. People used to say he was the next pacer after Akhtar. His debut was just ok, i think he played agianst India in an Asia cup in 2008. Than came his test debut and he replaced Umar Gul. Gul was not really that good in test cricket back in 2010, and this guy came in and was a wonderful 3rd pacer.

During the spot fixing event his name did came up, and I think PCB protected him by not playing him in many games when the trials were taking place.
But post 2011 world cup, the guy was nothing special.
 
He was a wild thing.
Loved his attitude always. Had a great bowling action too. Wishing him the best.
 
Had some really good spells in his career giving some memorable moments with both bowl as well as bat on few occassions.

In my opinion he had a good chance to play more test cricket considering that Pakistan was lacking good pace bowling options with real pace around the time when we were playing home cricket in UAE which unfortunately he couldnt. His fitness was always pretty good, was rarely injured and he was able to maintain pace in subsequent spells as well which along with reverse swing was handy on the dry wickets in test matches. So definitely could have gone to 150 or even more test wickets instead of just 84. Definitely underachieved in the test format considering everything.

In ODIs, he was too one dimensional without much options to get breakthrough other than ball going with the angle away from the batsman. His wrist position never allowed him to bring the new ball into the right handers until the very end when he started bringing the new ball in during the PSL 6 I believe. In that middle phase when team needed the breakthroughs he could not really use his pace optimally more often than not as his record suggests.
 
Wahab Riaz speaking in his presser:

"We have watched Imran Khan, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis whilst growing up; All of these players are ideals who we have tried to emulate and started playing cricket because of them".

"We cannot forget the 1992 World Cup; we cannot forget the captain of that team; I feel the status that Imran Khan has achieved as a cricketer will remain forever; We always idolized him, and I feel that the younger generation who watch their cricket stars will also idolize him."

“I want to thank Waqar Younis, Aaqib Javed and Mohammad Akram for always supporting me throughout my career".

“I will never forget the spell I bowled to Shane Watson; it was the best one of my career".
 
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An honest trier with good work ethics, Its about time we as a nation also start appreciating work ethics of honest triers in addition to mavericks and messiahs, since at the end of the day its them who create a professional system.
 
I used to love the jazba with which be bowled - will be my abiding memory
 
I am not sure Wahab was on anyone's radar for PK selection, so it's akin to me announcing my retirement.
Wasted talent. Career went no where bar the few notable performances.
 
His bowling was on and off but he did turn it on in some crucial times like in test matches.

I liked his attitude in general as he was one of the people that never gave up and always tried his best with the bat down the order winning us some games like against Afghanistan in 2019 World Cup
 
Wahab Riaz announces retirement from international cricket

Lahore, August 16, 2023:

Left-arm fast bowler Wahab Riaz has announced his retirement from international cricket, bringing an end to a career that spanned over a decade.

38-year-old Wahab, made his international debut in February 2008 against Zimbabwe and went on to represent Pakistan in 27 Tests, 91 ODIs, and 36 T20Is. He took 83 wickets in five-day format, 120 wickets in ODIs, and 34 wickets in T20Is.

Wahab has always been a key member of the Pakistan team for many years and was part of the squad that played in the ICC Men’s World Cup in 2011, 2015 and 2019. He was the leading wicket taker for Pakistan in 2015 World Cup with 17 wickets.

Addressing the media conference today, Wahab Riaz said: “I have decided to retire from international cricket today. It has been an honor to represent Pakistan for the past 15 years. I have made some great memories and I am grateful for the opportunity to have played for my country.

“I want to thank PCB, my family, friends, teammates, and fans for their support during my journey.”

Chairman PCB Management Committee Zaka Ashraf said: “Wahab Riaz's fast bowling has been a force to reckon with, and his fiery spells on the field have left a lasting impact on cricket fans around the world. He has been an integral part of many memorable matches and tournaments.

“As he steps away from international cricket, we respect his decision and wish him all the best for his future endeavors. His experience and skills will undoubtedly be missed, but we hope he continues to contribute to the game in various capacities.

“As he embarks on this new chapter in his life, we want Wahab to know that he will always be a part of the Pakistan cricket family, and we look forward to seeing his continued involvement in the sport.”
 
Yeah, let’s announce retirement when you won’t ever get picked again.

One of the most brainless bowlers I have ever seen. He had some great spells, but by and large, he had an underwhelming and poor international career.
 
Had some high peaks, an honest hard worker and toiler, but mixed with a lot of inconsistency and always spraying the ball around.

Side note: not trying to hate but that spell to Watson is incredibly overrated in my opinion. Fun to watch but like the dude bowled some bouncers in a loss; the way people talk about it you'd think he took 8 wickets
 
Wahab Riaz is a prominent Pakistani cricketer who has gained recognition for his distinctive qualities as a fast bowler.. But yeah he wasn't consistent though.
 
Always gave his all, even if he wasn't always in the best of form.

Bowled some rapid spells over the years.
 
Some rather poor remarks here. I can't understand this desi cricket fan mentality where unless you're a top-tier legend you don't deserve any respect upon retiring.

Was Wahab a case of wasted potential ? Yes. He failed to rectify the technical issues that @Titan24 mentioned. On a bad day he was an absolute spraygun while his good days were too few and far between.

He had me tearing my hair out occasionally - not targeting Steve Smith's stumps in the 2016 WT20 when he moved like 3ft outside offstump; the bizarre moment vs SL in 2017 when he pulled out of his runup several times; and living off his spell to Shane Watson which gave him a longer rope than his performances merited.

However we've seen far worse bowlers line up for us and he delivered in some big games such as the 2010 Oval Test; his 2015 Dubai Test spell vs ENG in the stifling heat; the 3 wickets vs ENG in the 2019 World Cup in a must-win game after the shocking defeat vs WI; and his batting effort vs AFG at Headingley despite a fractured finger.

The minimum we ask from players is to give it everything when wearing the green shirt, and despite his shortcomings in other areas I felt Wahab at least did that.
 
Was an honest player and a hard worker. Many bowlers have come and faded away for the last 15 years. But he was always there on the sidelines working and giving it his all on the pitch, regardless of whether he was successful or not. He was a spray gun on some days but lethal on others. Overall, not from the best of them obviously, but he's made his mark in ICC tournaments. He was a gun bowler in both the 2015 and 2019 world cups
 
Post Lunch, Pakistan unable to take wickets in a Test, captain throws the ball to Wahab...
 
The first name he thanked was Waqar Younis. While Waqar was a bekaar coach with most Pakistani bowlers, he probably made Wahab's international career what it was by persisting with him when others would have given up.
 
I remember when Pakistan toured England, and England baz balled Pakistan before baz ball was even a thing, and the likes of Junaid Khan were being hit for 100 runs in an ODI. I started a campaign on PP to get Wahab into the team who, at that time, was nowhere near selection . Suddenly Wahab got called up from Pakistan, and all of PP couldn’t believe it - had the campaign worked, or had the selectors randomly thought of the same idea?

In either case, Wahab arrived and finally restored credibility to our fast bowling stock. He bowled exceptionally well and got control of England’s crazy scoring rate. All of PP was overjoyed!

Those are the good memories I will forever hold of Wahab! Someone who gave his all, at all times, and had the pace which most could only dream of.
 
The first name he thanked was Waqar Younis. While Waqar was a bekaar coach with most Pakistani bowlers, he probably made Wahab's international career what it was by persisting with him when others would have given up.
wahab riaz played most of his cricket under the coaching of waqar younus..
 
Regardless of whether Wahab was going to have a good/bad day at the office, you would always get 110% effort from him bending his back or diving head first for catch and thats all you want from any player best wishes Sir
 
if Amir can overturn his retirement, why can’t Wahab Riaz who picked up a Michelle last time he played a World Cup match in Bharat.
 
@mominsaigol
Aus of 2015 weren't invincible. They were very beatable outside Aus.

In odi

I rewatchrd the 2015 game vs pak. Pak should have won. The kind of bowling pakistan had at the time, they should have won the wc. 2 dropped catches

Wahab owned Watson. Rahat dropped a sitter and then another drop off Maxwell. Cost them the game. Sitters
Catches were meant to be sitters.

Pakistan's wc to lose tbh. In aus.

Wahab was a stand out. What a spell.

They really should have gone through. 5 down no way they are surviving vs wahab and co had those catches been taken.
 
@mominsaigol
Aus of 2015 weren't invincible. They were very beatable outside Aus.

In odi

I rewatchrd the 2015 game vs pak. Pak should have won. The kind of bowling pakistan had at the time, they should have won the wc. 2 dropped catches

Wahab owned Watson. Rahat dropped a sitter and then another drop off Maxwell. Cost them the game. Sitters
Catches were meant to be sitters.

Pakistan's wc to lose tbh. In aus.

Wahab was a stand out. What a spell.

They really should have gone through. 5 down no way they are surviving vs wahab and co had those catches been taken.
Brother no offence, I don't really care much anymore. Mainly cause I'm not looking for a fight, nor am I interested in any baiting topics anymore.

You're free and entitled to your own opinion. However it's funny that you think it was Pakistan's world cup to lose when the entire batting lineup was riding on sarfi's back and the entire bowling lineup was riding on wahab riaz.

I like sarfi and wahab but the fact that these 2 were your best players and frankly only 2 players and you think this is the team that should have won wc 2015 is hilarious.

In 2015 eng and pak were the 2 worst teams. Shame on sa for losing to pak.
 
Brother no offence, I don't really care much anymore. Mainly cause I'm not looking for a fight, nor am I interested in any baiting topics anymore.

You're free and entitled to your own opinion. However it's funny that you think it was Pakistan's world cup to lose when the entire batting lineup was riding on sarfi's back and the entire bowling lineup was riding on wahab riaz.

I like sarfi and wahab but the fact that these 2 were your best players and frankly only 2 players and you think this is the team that should have won wc 2015 is hilarious.

In 2015 eng and pak were the 2 worst teams. Shame on sa for losing to pak.
Man that spell was incredible. You guys should have won. The way wahab bowled was outstanding. One of the greatest spells I have ever seen in my life. Effin rahat dumb ali.

And the other midget who dropped Maxwell. Cost the wc tbh. They were there for the taking.

You are wrong about pak bro. They were real good. Batting was a bit subpar but the calibre of bowlers for those conditions were outstanding. They has the skill to win it. If pak wins vs aus that day which they really should have, I am pretty sure they win the wc.

Not baiting at all. Legit think pak deserved to win vs aus. Forget about india game. Btw india themselves played incredibly well in the wc. Umesh shami were bowling 140 to 145 plus.

Only lost one game.

In a ko stage given we had Dhoni as captain who was washed at the time, pak could have easily made it to the finals and won.
 
Man that spell was incredible. You guys should have won. The way wahab bowled was outstanding. One of the greatest spells I have ever seen in my life. Effin rahat dumb ali.

And the other midget who dropped Maxwell. Cost the wc tbh. They were there for the taking.

You are wrong about pak bro. They were real good. Batting was a bit subpar but the calibre of bowlers for those conditions were outstanding. They has the skill to win it. If pak wins vs aus that day which they really should have, I am pretty sure they win the wc.

Not baiting at all. Legit think pak deserved to win vs aus. Forget about india game. Btw india themselves played incredibly well in the wc. Umesh shami were bowling 140 to 145 plus.

Only lost one game.

In a ko stage given we had Dhoni as captain who was washed at the time, pak could have easily made it to the finals and won.
Agree to disagree.

Here's the thing, I watched 2015 wc live and watched every single game.

The pak vs Aus match looks a lot better in highlights then it does on screen.

Mainly cause aus was well ahead of the rr and was cruising through. Only way for pakistan to win was to take all 10 wickets and considering the way Steve smith was batting, highly doubt pakistan would have won.

But yes aus of 2015 isn't as unbeatable as I thought it was. I agree with you their.

As for pakistan, Pakistan was weak as crap. It was horrible however wahab and sarfi turned it around.

Nasie jamshed, Shehzad, Umar akmal, Maqsood, Younis Khan were useless and dead weight. The less said about Misbah the better.

The only real dissapointment was Haris sohail, He didn't perform up to standards, he was really the only inform batter but didn't live up.

Bowling was a total joke, Wahab against sa and aus just ended up having his 2011 India moment.

It was a pathetic team that fluked a win against sa. Had they somehow fluked it against aus, like let's say Watson and Maxwell catches were taken and then wahab managed to get rid of steve smith as well and pak managed to bowl aus out,

India would have gotten rid of Pak and the final would have been India vs NZ.

Wahab was the only bowler, Maybe sohail Khan could have done something? But naw doubt it.
 
Agree to disagree.

Here's the thing, I watched 2015 wc live and watched every single game.

The pak vs Aus match looks a lot better in highlights then it does on screen.

Mainly cause aus was well ahead of the rr and was cruising through. Only way for pakistan to win was to take all 10 wickets and considering the way Steve smith was batting, highly doubt pakistan would have won.

But yes aus of 2015 isn't as unbeatable as I thought it was. I agree with you their.

As for pakistan, Pakistan was weak as crap. It was horrible however wahab and sarfi turned it around.

Nasie jamshed, Shehzad, Umar akmal, Maqsood, Younis Khan were useless and dead weight. The less said about Misbah the better.

The only real dissapointment was Haris sohail, He didn't perform up to standards, he was really the only inform batter but didn't live up.

Bowling was a total joke, Wahab against sa and aus just ended up having his 2011 India moment.

It was a pathetic team that fluked a win against sa. Had they somehow fluked it against aus, like let's say Watson and Maxwell catches were taken and then wahab managed to get rid of steve smith as well and pak managed to bowl aus out,

India would have gotten rid of Pak and the final would have been India vs NZ.

Wahab was the only bowler, Maybe sohail Khan could have done something? But naw doubt it.
Rahat is useless. He cost pak the game
 
A fiery left-arm pacer who burst onto the scene with his ODI debut against Zimbabwe in Sheikhupura back in 2008, followed by a sensational Test debut in 2010 against England, where he bagged a match-defining 5 for 63. His unforgettable spell against India in the 2011 World Cup and that relentless barrage against Shane Watson in 2015 remain etched in World Cup folklore.

With 154 appearances for Pakistan, Wahab Riaz collected 237 wickets and chipped in with over 1200 runs across all formats. He stands tall as Pakistan's second-highest wicket-taker in World Cup history and also contributed to the game off the field as part of the national selection committee.

Wishing a very Happy Birthday to the ever-passionate Wahab Riaz!
 
Quite possibly the worst fast bowler to play for Pakistan with such a lengthy career.
 
Was a moments bowler. Overall, a below average bowler who played way longer than he should have.
 
Rauf has proudly carried forward his legacy. It is like he never left.
 
Rauf has proudly carried forward his legacy. It is like he never left.
Wahab is still a better bowler then Rauf though?

Wahab could occasionally surprise you on a given day even if it was far and few in between.

Rauf can onpy perform in Australia but otherwise he aint surprising you.

Wahab is still a better bowler then Rauf.
 
I still remember Wahab's delivery to Smith. I don't know if you guys can recall that delivery or not... When Smith went outside off stump leaving all 3 stumps wide open but Wahab still got hit on that ball...LOL.
 
I still remember Wahab's delivery to Smith. I don't know if you guys can recall that delivery or not... When Smith went outside off stump leaving all 3 stumps wide open but Wahab still got hit on that ball...LOL.
I recall everything. It is not possible to get past me. I remember that delivery.
 
Haris is better in T20
They are equal in ODi
Wahab is obviously far superior in test as Haris doesn't play.

Wahab was a top bowler on occasion. Wonderful to watch in full swing but sadly he was rarely on top form and often capitulated.

I remember some ferocious spells in the UAE where he didn't get many wickets but bowled with absolute fire. He should have had a better career than he did.
 
Wahab bent his back on those docile UAE surfaces under the baking sun at 140+ constantly. He was an imperfect bowler but he has accomplished far more than Pakistan's current crop of overhyped, overrated, trundlers who like to call themselves fast-bowlers but can't even play test cricket. Nobody is saying he was great. But he always gave his 100% and was far fitter and faster than the current crop of jokers.
 
I recall everything. It is not possible to get past me. I remember that delivery.

I still remember Wahab's delivery to Smith. I don't know if you guys can recall that delivery or not... When Smith went outside off stump leaving all 3 stumps wide open but Wahab still got hit on that ball...LOL.

I recall everything. It is not possible to get past me. I remember that delivery.

I remember that too. In fact Smith flicked that delivery for six and Maxwell had a big laugh about it LOL

Like I said on his bad days he was a pile of garbage and generally had a temper too.

However, he on his good days his pace and bounce could make him unplayable.

However, I respect him for two main reasons:

1. Prioritizing all three formats (including the UAE Teat dust bowls in extreme heat… at a time when no international cricket was played in Pakistan)

2. Doing well in ICC events (with the sole exception of the 2017 CT and even then he apologized profusely in front of the media after getting injured..)
 
I remember that too. In fact Smith flicked that delivery for six and Maxwell had a big laugh about it LOL

Like I said on his bad days he was a pile of garbage and generally had a temper too.

However, he on his good days his pace and bounce could make him unplayable.

However, I respect him for two main reasons:

1. Prioritizing all three formats (including the UAE Teat dust bowls in extreme heat… at a time when no international cricket was played in Pakistan)

2. Doing well in ICC events (with the sole exception of the 2017 CT and even then he apologized profusely in front of the media after getting injured..)
Wahab always stepped up in icc events and he always tried his level best for the team which is why I don't hate him.

Effort needs to be applauded.
 
Wahab bent his back on those docile UAE surfaces under the baking sun at 140+ constantly. He was an imperfect bowler but he has accomplished far more than Pakistan's current crop of overhyped, overrated, trundlers who like to call themselves fast-bowlers but can't even play test cricket. Nobody is saying he was great. But he always gave his 100% and was far fitter and faster than the current crop of jokers.
Wahab Riaz is the father of all the non international quality "fast bowlers" we have produced since then. With Wahab Riaz, you needed to play additional 5 bowlers in ODIs and 4 bowlers in tests (unless it was UAE where Yasir would the majority of wickets) to be able to take 20 wickets. I haven't seen a fast bowler who took such few wickets in Pakistani history as Wahab did. Even in ODIs he got to 100 wickets is something like 80 ODIs and that's considering he had around 40 ODI wickets in his first 21-22 ODIs. The guy play freaking 27 tests and would have still needed 10 more tests to get to 100 test wickets.
 
Wahab Riaz is the father of all the non international quality "fast bowlers" we have produced since then. With Wahab Riaz, you needed to play additional 5 bowlers in ODIs and 4 bowlers in tests (unless it was UAE where Yasir would the majority of wickets) to be able to take 20 wickets. I haven't seen a fast bowler who took such few wickets in Pakistani history as Wahab did. Even in ODIs he got to 100 wickets is something like 80 ODIs and that's considering he had around 40 ODI wickets in his first 21-22 ODIs. The guy play freaking 27 tests and would have still needed 10 more tests to get to 100 test wickets.
A big reason for that is that he regularly out of favor with the selectors. He was definitely an inconsistent bowler for post of his career but by 2019 he had become a much improved and experienced bowler, who could still bowl with alot of pace consistently. In the 2019 World Cup, he produced some quality spells and was a very key part of that pace-attack with Shaheen and Amir. However selectors wanted to focus on Shaheen, Naseem, Rauf and completely side-lined him eventhough he was taking wickets in domestic and PSL. I still believe that if we had Wahab Riaz in the 2021 T20 WC squad we would have won that tournament. Because not only was Wahab in form but he could have easily slotted in for the out-of-form Hasan Ali.

And like I said, say what you will about him but he has produced more big performances in big matches than Shaheen, Naseem, Rauf combined. For one thing, he has always delivered in ICC World Cups, whether you wanna look at his spell in 2011 SF, his performances in the 2015 WC or the 2019 WC where he also played a crucial match-winning innings against Afghanistan. Above all, he was a proper fast-bowler who could bowl with some serious gas. And someone whose pace didn't drop because he was in his second spell or bowling in the baking UAE sun or a rock-hard Australian surface. He may have lacked talent but he always gave it his all for the team. Can't say the same about the current lot.
 
A big reason for that is that he regularly out of favor with the selectors. He was definitely an inconsistent bowler for post of his career but by 2019 he had become a much improved and experienced bowler, who could still bowl with alot of pace consistently. In the 2019 World Cup, he produced some quality spells and was a very key part of that pace-attack with Shaheen and Amir. However selectors wanted to focus on Shaheen, Naseem, Rauf and completely side-lined him eventhough he was taking wickets in domestic and PSL. I still believe that if we had Wahab Riaz in the 2021 T20 WC squad we would have won that tournament. Because not only was Wahab in form but he could have easily slotted in for the out-of-form Hasan Ali.

And like I said, say what you will about him but he has produced more big performances in big matches than Shaheen, Naseem, Rauf combined. For one thing, he has always delivered in ICC World Cups, whether you wanna look at his spell in 2011 SF, his performances in the 2015 WC or the 2019 WC where he also played a crucial match-winning innings against Afghanistan. Above all, he was a proper fast-bowler who could bowl with some serious gas. And someone whose pace didn't drop because he was in his second spell or bowling in the baking UAE sun or a rock-hard Australian surface. He may have lacked talent but he always gave it his all for the team. Can't say the same about the current lot.
Yes he gave his all and was extremely fit and retained pace throughout his career. But he just wasn't the guy to win us tournaments. For all the effort he put in, he never really got wickets apart from the 3 games 2011 wc semi, 2015 wc matches against Zim and SA. Irfan was the better bowler in 2015 wc. Even when he supposedly bowled well, he averaged 36 or something with the ball in 2019 wc. He just wasn't good enough. The pacers we have got afterwards are just as awful.
I just hope the likes of Shaheen and Naseem start taking international cricket more seriously before the ship sails for them as well cause as a nation, our fast bowling reserves are at the lowest right now.
 
Yes he gave his all and was extremely fit and retained pace throughout his career. But he just wasn't the guy to win us tournaments. For all the effort he put in, he never really got wickets apart from the 3 games 2011 wc semi, 2015 wc matches against Zim and SA. Irfan was the better bowler in 2015 wc. Even when he supposedly bowled well, he averaged 36 or something with the ball in 2019 wc. He just wasn't good enough. The pacers we have got afterwards are just as awful.
I just hope the likes of Shaheen and Naseem start taking international cricket more seriously before the ship sails for them as well cause as a nation, our fast bowling reserves are at the lowest right now.
Who else was a match-winning bowler? Pakistan's team during much of Wahab's career was an atrocious side, particularly in white-ball. So it's not like anyone else was picking up the load or supporting him. As an enforcer Wahab could have had far better numbers if he was part of literally any other bowling attack in the world. We saw in 2019 and later when Amir was in good form and Shaheen was emerging, he bowled really well. But by then it was too late and his career was close to the end. Point is, Wahab is far better than people give him credit for. And was far more committed to doing well for Pakistan than Shaheen, Naseem or Rauf who have given us nothing but disappointments in the last two years.
 
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