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Wahab Riaz "I'm Fast and Furious"

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Saj

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Left arm pace bowler Wahab Riaz was in fine form today for the Pakistan "A" side but they were defeated by their English counterparts in Sharjah.

In the opening match of the series in the United Arab Emirates, the England Lions comfortably beat the Pakistan "A" side by 7 wickets and with 14 deliveries still remaining.

Craig Kieswetter smashed 77 off 52 deliveries and took the Lions home with good support from Ian Bell. For the Pakistan team, Shahzaib Hasan Khan was the batting mainstay, whilst Wahab was the only wicket taker for the Pakistan "A" side as he took 3 for 34 in 3.4 hostile overs.

Wahab speaking after the game to PakPassion.net was satisfied with his own display, but disappointed that the team had lost. "My first two overs went really well, but when the slog was on, I conceded a few more runs than I would have hoped to. Kieswetter hit some unorthodox shots on the off side and it wasn't easy to bowl to him".

Wahab who has been selected for the senior Pakistan team for the two Twenty/20 internationals against England stated that he feels that he is bowling as quick as he can remember "I felt good out there and I was in good rhythm and also had a catch dropped by Asad Shafiq off my bowling. The ball is coming out nicely, I am bowling very quick and I hope that all my hard work has paid off and I can establish myself in the Pakistan team".

Wahab stated that playing in the Sharjah stadium gave him butterflies as he walked out onto the pitch. "The Sharjah stadium is steeped in history. There have been so many great matches and performances over the years in this stadium and it was an honour to be there".

There's a certain amount of confusion as to Wahab's status when it comes to the Pakistan versus Pakistan "A" encounter, as Wahab has of course been named in both squads. "I join up with the Pakistan senior team on 14th February when they arrive in the UAE and then I rejoin the Pakistan "A" squad after the senior team has rerturned to Pakistan. I'm not sure which team I will be asked to represent when they square off against each other, but of course I hope it's the Pakistan senior team".

Responding to some recent articles in the press about payments being made on his behalf to influential figures within Pakistan cricket, so that he would be selected, Wahab laughed off the allegations. "The allegations are absolute bakwaas (nonsense). Naturally I am furious with the stories, but I can't reveal all to you just yet. Once I have recieved clearance from the Board to talk on this matter, I will explain matters in full. What I can say though is that there are certain parties within Pakistan cricket that do not want me to play for Pakistan. They are trying to undermine me and ruin my name. The allegations relate to a time when I was picked on merit, having taken more than 80 wickets in that domestic season. There is absolutely no truth in the allegations that I paid anyone money to get selected for the team".

Pakistan "A" and the England Lions next squuare off on Sunday 14th February once again in Sharjah.

WaHABrIAZ.JPG
 
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taaveez said:
What's with the PTI style title?
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I thought it was quite witty - Fast as in he is bowling very fast and Furious, because he's furious with the payment allegations :)
 
Saj said:
What I can say though is that there are certain parties within Pakistan cricket that do not want me to play for Pakistan. They are trying to undermine me and ruin my name.

WaHABrIAZ.JPG
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Pakistani Players need to stop talking and start performing. Every time they open their mouth they are accusing someone.
 
PTI style ! !? Have you never heard of the film series 'Too Fast, too Furious'?
 
insaftak, you need to learn to read and reason

Wahab has mentioned no-one and has done his talking on the pitch

Grow up
 
insaftak said:
Pakistani Players need to stop talking and start performing. Every time they open their mouth they are accusing someone.
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spot on bro :14:
 
Ali888 said:
PTI style ! !? Have you never heard of the film series 'Too Fast, too Furious'?
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Yes, and have seen its predecessor as well. Hence, the comment.

Back to the topic. If he is fast enough, he should be added to the list of 4-5 140k pacers, who can be groomed to notch it up to 145K-150K. On a consistent basis.

I think Aamer's speed has gone up in the ^^ fashion. If a retirted express pacer can help this lot, we can have a bench that can be rotated and kept alive.
 
Ali888 said:
insaftak, you need to learn to read and reason

Wahab has mentioned no-one and has done his talking on the pitch

Grow up
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he said there are "certain Parties" within PCB that don't want me to play for Pakistan and are ruining my name. I never said he is naming someone, but he is definitely accusing someone
 
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There is no doubt about Wahab Riaz's merit. He deserved to be in the team on merit. But then i wasnt surprised by the stories he was asked to pay a certain bribe to be included in the team. Why blame Wahab? He wanted to be in the team, if the selection process was fair and on merit, he would have been in the side without question but why risk being on the sidelines indefinately, permanently because of refusing or being unable to pay an amount X,Y,Z as bribe to a certain selector, manager, assistant manager?

By revealing the truth he has put himself, his family, career everyone at considerable risk because of him exposing the corrupt Mafia that has always hindered our cricket and talent. Cmon, guys do you seriously believe there is no corruption whether financial, administrative, merit wise in our cricket?
 
I dont know who's wrong or right about this bribe issue, but i watched criket kaa Muqadma, and Qadir said that Ijaz Butt recieved a confidential letter from Wahab about Shafqat Rana asking about 10 laakh rupees.
And Shakeel something from Rawalpindi cricket association president (suppose to be buddy buddy with Butt back then) said he read the letter himself and it stated that Shafqat Rana had asked for 15 laakh rupees.

I dont know who to believe or who not to.
 
He's more than ready to make the jump to the senior level.

I see him as the first line replacement for Gul if he continues to flounder.
 
insaftak said:
Pakistani Players need to stop talking and start performing. Every time they open their mouth they are accusing someone.
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Hey, Take it easy.

Take a break bro! ;-)
 
Savak said:
There is no doubt about Wahab Riaz's merit. He deserved to be in the team on merit. But then i wasnt surprised by the stories he was asked to pay a certain bribe to be included in the team. Why blame Wahab? He wanted to be in the team, if the selection process was fair and on merit, he would have been in the side without question but why risk being on the sidelines indefinately, permanently because of refusing or being unable to pay an amount X,Y,Z as bribe to a certain selector, manager, assistant manager?

By revealing the truth he has put himself, his family, career everyone at considerable risk because of him exposing the corrupt Mafia that has always hindered our cricket and talent. Cmon, guys do you seriously believe there is no corruption whether financial, administrative, merit wise in our cricket?
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absolutely spot on ^^
 
BTW he is one of the closest buddies of Shoaib Malik....very good friends.
 
xbox said:
BTW he is one of the closest buddies of Shoaib Malik....very good friends.
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what have you done? Now everyone will start to hate him as well :)) :))
 
I hear he is still the closest friend of Shoaib Malik. There is no doubt that people won't be in the favor of him anymore. LOL

Hate is the strong word, but we all got to see in this lifetime is thank to PakPassion. eh!
 
If he can get the ball to move both ways and at good pace as he's mentioning himself then I'd like to see him in the final XI against England!
 
Omar Malik said:
If he can get the ball to move both ways and at good pace as he's mentioning himself then I'd like to see him in the final XI against England!
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With Asif and Aamer out of the playing XI Wahab should get a spot.
 
Inswinger said:
With Asif and Aamer out of the playing XI Wahab should get a spot.
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Yeah we all know that but would the PCB realise that?! Thats what the ultimate question is!
 
Wahab's got some tough competition for the fast bowling slots at the moment, but I think he deserves a chance, especially given that Umar Gul was in rather poor form in Australia.
 
Almost bowled 2 hours non stop, I saw just 3 balls under 140

Brilliant

He showed the importance of having an out and out fast bowler, especially as the test match nears its end and pitches slows down
 
nice bump :wahab

love this guy, he's all heart and passion.

doesn't muck about, runs in hard all day, bowls with some serious heat, and just turns back and rushes back to his mark to do it all over again.

he'll be a damn fine bowler Inshallah.
 
His attitude is good but still has weaknesses in his bowling he is not extremely talented but has pace which is his positive point ... I still have the view that if he wants to succeed in the long term he has to work on his new ball bowling which is very weak...
 
I really do like this guy

I was watching him bowl live when he took his 5fer on debut and he bowled with passion, skill and agression.

Then in SA he bowled really well at the death and showed us that with the bat he can hit as well as block.

Now he's continuing his fine form MashAllah.

InshAllah he'll be a mainstay in the team for years to come and become a top class bowler.
 
Should only play on flat tracks(both in ODIs and Tests) as he will be deadly with his pace and reverse swing however but on a green top we have far better options.
 
muhammad saad said:
Should only play on flat tracks(both in ODIs and Tests) as he will be deadly with his pace and reverse swing however but on a green top we have far better options.
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How many green tops last all 5 days?
And he also showed how useful he can be on greentops (Oval)
Wahab is our best option when the conditions don't suit movement, and I agree if and when Amir Asif come back there is a case of not playing him, but at the moment, regardless of the conditions, hes among the best 2 quickies in Pakistan.
 
muhammad saad said:
Should only play on flat tracks(both in ODIs and Tests) as he will be deadly with his pace and reverse swing however but on a green top we have far better options.
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hilarious thinking.

so a guy who can bowl well on dead wickets should not bowl on pitches where he actually has a better chance of getting wickets?!

Thank God you're not part of the Pak team 'think' tank :)))
 
muhammad saad said:
Should only play on flat tracks(both in ODIs and Tests) as he will be deadly with his pace and reverse swing however but on a green top we have far better options.
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Woah wait a minute...

First of all I'd like you to name me the 'far better options' and reasons why they should be replacing Wahab Riaz for green pitches.

Now then,

If Wahab is doing a fantastic job with the ball on pitches where it's likely to support the batsmen more then why on earth shouldn't he be played on green pitches where it offers more support to the bowlers?

It's like me saying Tanvir Ahmed shouldn't be used on green pitches even though he took 6 wickets on a flat pitch against a top-class side.

Anyways Mash'Allah - Wahab has developed so well over the past 3-4 weeks or so, he seems more mature and the bags of experience he has in him has clearly given him confident with the bowl AND bat.
 
I had been mentioning this man's name as a bit of a 'watch out' for him in the World Cup. Akhtar, Gul and Riaz, nice attack!
 
AZ said:
hilarious thinking.

so a guy who can bowl well on dead wickets should not bowl on pitches where he actually has a better chance of getting wickets?!

Thank God you're not part of the Pak team 'think' tank :)))
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No because he doesnt extract any noticeable movement on green tops so the chances of picking up more wickets on green tops doesnt increases and on the other hand Junaid Khan and Asad Ali are far far better bowler than him on green tops because they get huge movement both in the air and off the wicket and also they are highly accurate plus Junaid khan is just a touch slower than Wahab but he swings the ball both ways and he is far more accurate.
 
muhammad saad said:
No because he doesnt extract any noticeable movement on green tops so the chances of picking up more wickets on green tops doesnt increases and on the other hand Junaid Khan and Asad Ali are far far better bowler than him on green tops because they get huge movement both in the air and off the wicket and also they are highly accurate plus Junaid khan is just a touch slower than Wahab but he swings the ball both ways and he is far more accurate.
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how many times have you seen Wahab bowl on green tops?

I'd rather have a well-rounded bowler who can bowl in all conditions than a 'green track bully'.

the first guy has a much, much better chance of doing better on helpful wickets.

green wickets are good for seam movement primarily, not swing...and Whab's hit-the-deck style will be mighty effective on it.
 
Theo_14 said:
Woah wait a minute...

First of all I'd like you to name me the 'far better options' and reasons why they should be replacing Wahab Riaz for green pitches.

Now then,

If Wahab is doing a fantastic job with the ball on pitches where it's likely to support the batsmen more then why on earth shouldn't he be played on green pitches where it offers more support to the bowlers?

It's like me saying Tanvir Ahmed shouldn't be used on green pitches even though he took 6 wickets on a flat pitch against a top-class side.

Anyways Mash'Allah - Wahab has developed so well over the past 3-4 weeks or so, he seems more mature and the bags of experience he has in him has clearly given him confident with the bowl AND bat.
Click to expand...

There is something called "Speciality" but our thinking hasn't developed enough yet to accept it , that is the thinking which result in Fawad Alam's failure in T20 games result in him being drop from Test side , why on earth cant we accept that some players are more suited to certain conditions and certain format? If one player has performed well in one condition/format that doesnt mean he will perform and will be equally effective in different condition/other format of the game , I am not saying that Wahab is crappy and should be drop , his speciality is bowling reverse swing with pace and he is damn effective on abrasive and flat wickets thats it. That doesnt make him double effective on green tops because he cant get enough movement so why not select the bowlers based on match conditions and suitability?
 
AZ said:
how many times have you seen Wahab bowl on green tops?

I'd rather have a well-rounded bowler who can bowl in all conditions than a 'green track bully'.

the first guy has a much, much better chance of doing better on helpful wickets.

green wickets are good for seam movement primarily, not swing...and Whab's hit-the-deck style will be mighty effective on it.
Click to expand...

May be a dozen? And I have never seen him seaming the ball at will like Muhammad Aamer (he does get something from the track as every fast bowler will but that just random seam movement and also he is not accurate enough to get wickets from that random movement)
And if you have green tracks bully then why not play them on green tops? that just stupid thinking saying that Wahab is a /will become allround bowler who can bowl as effective equally in every format and in every condition.
 
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Wahab has not even played a dozen Tests, let alone on greenish wickets.

you have said that he gets seam movement, so we agree on that...if you're expecting him to be an Asif-type bowler then that's not going to happen, nobody in the world has a command over a cricket ball like he does.

what he may lack in accuracy he makes up in pace and bounce...even on a green wicket conditions will only you assist you so much, you have to make things happen.

because unless you're playing in England where it swings all day, your GTB will become fairly toothless very quickly.

not saying that Junaid may not be good enough, but a bowler who can be useful in all conditions is always better than one who can work in some conditions.
 
AZ said:
Wahab has not even played a dozen Tests, let alone on greenish wickets.

you have said that he gets seam movement, so we agree on that...if you're expecting him to be an Asif-type bowler then that's not going to happen, nobody in the world has a command over a cricket ball like he does.

what he may lack in accuracy he makes up in pace and bounce...even on a green wicket conditions will only you assist you so much, you have to make things happen.

because unless you're playing in England where it swings all day, your GTB will become fairly toothless very quickly.

not saying that Junaid may not be good enough, but a bowler who can be useful in all conditions is always better than one who can work in some conditions.
Click to expand...

I wast talking about domestic games and you have to be deadly accurate if you want consistent success on green tops and sadly Wahab isn't so he better stick to the conditions in which he can utilize his strength effectively (surely he wont be able to bowl those reverse swinging yorkers on over cloud conditions and he isn't accurate enough to pitch the ball in the right areas consistently and get that random seam movement and then hoping against hope to pick up a wicket) Heck I can safely bet that Junaid Khan can be a more well-round bowler for different conditions because apart from being a Green track bully hes got enough pace to trouble batsmen even on flat tracks but I am not saying to play him in all conditions.
 
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Why isnt this merged with other random Wahab threads? :D
 
muhammad saad said:
I wast talking about domestic games and you have to be deadly accurate if you want consistent success on green tops and sadly Wahab isn't so he better stick to the conditions in which he can utilize his strength effectively (surely he wont be able to bowl those reverse swinging yorkers on over cloud conditions and he isn't accurate enough to pitch the ball in the right areas consistently and get that random seam movement and then hoping against hope to pick up a wicket) Heck I can safely bet that Junaid Khan can be a more well-round bowler for different conditions because apart from being a Green track bully hes got enough pace to trouble batsmen even on flat tracks but I am not saying to play him in all conditions.
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well, we'll have to see when Junaid plays for Pak, don't we.

cannot claim to say yes he will do that and can do that when we are yet to see him properly on intl. stage

Wahab, despite your suggested limitations, is performing admirably, and in various conditions.
 
Wahab will always angle the ball away from the right handers if you look at his seam release. If he can develop an In swinger for the right hander he will become something else.
I'm very happy with his effort and attitude though.
 
Credit to him for todays performance but he is still far from being a good test bowler and needs lots of improvement ... Although for time being he should be permanent in the team
 
emclub said:
He is the new daddy of reverse swing :wahab
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The 2 words bolded takes me back to memory lane, no not the Waqar/Wasim days (I was only a kid back then!)... Takes me back around 12 months in 2009 where one young talented bowler was starting to show one of his suprise package which was reverse swing for the very first time in his career...

<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1bSeQN0iQy8?fs=1&hl=en_GB"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1bSeQN0iQy8?fs=1&hl=en_GB" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>

Just have a look at the batsman, he's completely suprised and looks speechless!

Ahhh, memories :(.
 
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Well Done Wahab!

Saw you first in 2008 Kitply Cup and you showed you had the potential to be a good bowler.

Just focus on cricket and do not mess up your bright career because of stupid mistakes. You have the chance to make it big.

Long it may continue.
 
I remember when I was walking around Bangalore in 2008...the team was getting smashed by Sehwag and Gambhir and whilst I was in a mall, Wahab dismissed both caught behind. I found it really funny that the Indian fans were agonising and I just wanted to jump in joy, but didn't until the final :D
 
..... and not ranked top 40 in either of the formats. :wahab

Speed is so overrated.
 
His lack of skill was brutally exposed today. It was a dream pitch for fast bowling and Amir, Nehra, Bumra, Irfan and Sami all looked very good.

The only bowler who stood out like a sore thumb was Wahab.

Very disappointing effort.
 
The pitch was set to bowl full which is not his strength. It was poor bowling but idiotic planning from captain and management as well. It's a bouncy pitch, use the damn bounce, set a leg side field(leg slip, fine leg, short leg, mid-wicket), come around the wicket and pepper them with short balls and slip in a yorker.

Brainless thinking all around.
 
Mamoon said:
His lack of skill was brutally exposed today. It was a dream pitch for fast bowling and Amir, Nehra, Bumra, Irfan and Sami all looked very good.

The only bowler who stood out like a sore thumb was Wahab.

Very disappointing effort.
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His inability to swing or seam the ball was always going to catch up one day. Gun barrel straight bowling only gets you so far.
 
Mamoon said:
His lack of skill was brutally exposed today. It was a dream pitch for fast bowling and Amir, Nehra, Bumra, Irfan and Sami all looked very good.

The only bowler who stood out like a sore thumb was Wahab.

Very disappointing effort.
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You missed Pandya dude.
 
Wasim_Waqar said:
I remember when I was walking around Bangalore in 2008...the team was getting smashed by Sehwag and Gambhir and whilst I was in a mall, Wahab dismissed both caught behind. I found it really funny that the Indian fans were agonising and I just wanted to jump in joy, but didn't until the final :D
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You were in Bangalore!? On work?
 
ChachaCricket said:
The pitch was set to bowl full which is not his strength. It was poor bowling but idiotic planning from captain and management as well. It's a bouncy pitch, use the damn bounce, set a leg side field(leg slip, fine leg, short leg, mid-wicket), come around the wicket and pepper them with short balls and slip in a yorker.

Brainless thinking all around.
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Yes, it is always the captain's fault and not Wahab's.

He is one dimensional to the core and on a dream bowling wicket, he got exposed.

You overrate/overestimate him and Imad big time and it is not a big deal, but you are better than making excuses for him after every poor performance.
 
This pitch was not suited to someone like him at all. Not surprised to see some people not being able to recognize this. Even Mitchell Johnson would have been hit around on this pitch.
 
AlphaFighter said:
His inability to swing or seam the ball was always going to catch up one day. Gun barrel straight bowling only gets you so far.
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True. Blaming the captains, coaches, weather, stars etc. will not work forever. The guy is no spring chicken and has enough experience under his belt to know what to do what in a given situation.

He is 31 years old with a receding hairline; when will he learn?
 
Bilal7 said:
This pitch was not suited to someone like him at all. Not surprised to see some people not being able to recognize this. Even Mitchell Johnson would have been hit around on this pitch.
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So the pitch suited Pandya? No excuses. He could just bowl like Irfan did atleast. Good line and length outside off stump. All he did was dishing out half volleys outside off
 
Totally toothless can't swing to save his life. If it were Asif with Amir , we could have won it even with such low score!
 
Johnson comparison again.

Sorry to break it to people but Johnson could swing the new ball a fair bit. He wasn't toothless like Wahab when it came making use of conditions, but of course he was far from great at it and that is why his performance in places like England was mediocre overall.

However please, do not compare him to Wahab. He was far better than Wahab ever will be.

You can compare Johnson at his worst to Wahab at his best, and that is a fair comparison, but Johnson at his best is lightyears ahead of Wahab at his best.

Only thing Wahab is better at is reverse-swing, Johnson comfortable beats him at all other facets of fast bowling.
 
rhony said:
So the pitch suited Pandya? No excuses. He could just bowl like Irfan did atleast. Good line and length outside off stump. All he did was dishing out half volleys outside off
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What i am curious about thought is what were the instructions and game plan given to him by Afridi and Waqar.
 
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