Wahab Riaz's 5-wicket haul, just his 2nd in Test cricket - Why does he find it hard to pick wickets?

[Abdullah719]

Wahab does bowl some terrific spells where he makes an impact on the match despite not taking any wickets. But why does he find wicket-taking difficult?

It's not just five-wicket hauls, he rarely gets four in an innings and is yet to pick up more than six wickets in a match.

Has he been unfortunate? Is he over-rated?

Hopefully he can get his best match-figures in this game because it looks like we'll be needing all the help we can get to win this Test match...

 

[Chief Destroyer]

He's the type of bowler Pakistanis don't know how to use.

 

[Mainul]

The answer is simple.He is an average bowler, was and will remain.Don't expect anything more from him.

 

[JibranAnsari]

Because he has no brains at all , a bowling version of umar akmal.

Its unfortunate that he got 5 wickets that he will retain his place in the team for next three series.

 

[marlonbrowndo]

@;

Because he has no brains at all , a bowling version of umar akmal.

Its unfortunate that he got 5 wickets that he will retain his place in the team for next three series.

What an awful post. He's been really good in this series and bowled brilliantly in our Oval win. Why do you always moan and cry?

 

[solehria]

@;

What an awful post. He's been really good in this series and bowled brilliantly in our Oval win. Why do you always moan and cry?

he certainly has been one of our best bowlers in tests, always produces great spells when needed(mostly)

 

[zulfiqar]

He's not the type of bowler we would want to include in every game, but he will do well in rotations. He has pace so he there's a good chance of him coming off on tracks that will offer him bounce. Would definitely have him in my team in Australia.

 

[MenInG]

Like he said in the presser - most of his Test cricket in the UAE on tough wickets

 

[aloo paratha]

He'll be the best if not second best fast bowler after Amir in Australia.

 

[AlphaFighter]

Not sure if he is fully fit, his speeds on average were slower in this match. His bowling action also looks very tired now. Being used as a work horse by Misbah it appears is finally taking a toll.

 

[The_KING]

He is a very one dimensional bowler and the only pitches that are really suited to his bowling are the bouncy Australian pitches. Unfortunately for him, we haven't played in Australia since early 2010 so I don't think he has done that badly in test cricket especially as he has played most of his test cricket on flat UAE tracks.

 

[Sin Nombre]

He is a brainless bowler who cannot maintain any consistency is the unfortunate truth. I think he will finally get dropped after being bashed around by Smith and co in home conditions.

 

[moghul]

Doesn;t have skill to run through a side but a useful bowler in the absence of a 'Waqar Younis" in waiting. Don't know why he has been sent to bat earlier than # 11.

 

[Square Drive]

Would've averaged under 30 if he played less in the UAE. Trust me.

 

[Bilal7]

Riaz has been the best Asian fast bowler in tests for the past couple of years. I expect him to bounce out a lot of kangaroos and kiwis in the near future.

Just need a couple of technical adjustments and a great mentor to turn him into Mitchell Johnson v.pak.

 

[Bilal7]

Not sure if he is fully fit, his speeds on average were slower in this match. His bowling action also looks very tired now. Being used as a work horse by Misbah it appears is finally taking a toll.

He's been slower on purpose. Can't keep bowling full-throttle on these dead pitches.

 

[Zak_Fan]

Riaz has been the best Asian fast bowler in tests for the past couple of years. I expect him to bounce out a lot of kangaroos and kiwis in the near future.

Just need a couple of technical adjustments and a great mentor to turn him into Mitchell Johnson v.pak.

Not even top 3. Actually, he will be lucky to make top-5.

 

[ShoonyaSifar]

80% of his wickets are of top 7 batsmen. Picks up crucial wickets at critical stages of test matches which go unnoticed. He will not give you regular 5 wicket hauls but his 2-3 wickets burst in a spell often has helped Pakistan win tests.

 

[salih]

He's an 'x-factor' kind of bowler who gives you something when the others can't. He's been consistently bowling well in tests since the SL series in 2014, but hasn't always got the wickets to show for it. He seems to bowl at least 1 amazing spell per test (reverse swing vs England 2015, short stuff in England) and that helps other bowlers to take wickets. He'll be a handful in Australia, but he shouldn't be anywhere near the limited overs teams since he isn't consistently accurate.

 

[street cricketer]

He belongs to a breed of out and out pace bowlers called "enforcers" similar to Gabriel or Neil Wagner (Stuart Broad was called one too but that's another story). They may not move the ball very much, but they are the kind of bowlers who will be at your throat constantly regardless of the pitch and conditions at express pace. They should be used in short bursts with set fields to bait the batsman with short balls and slipping in the odd fuller ball as a surprise delivery.

I wouldn't have Wahab anywhere near my LOI team, in LOIs the faster you bowl, the faster you disappear unless you have very good variations and yorkers. But in Test cricket, Wahab has been useful for Pakistan in creating inroads when the wicket is giving nothing to the bowler and in breaking long partnerships.

 

[Abdullah719]

"You cannot still be developing into a star after five years; a star is one who gets going from the first year" : Shoaib Akhtar regarding Wahab Riaz.

 

[Deewana Mastana]

I would quote below what I said yesterday in the abysmal batting thread of Wahab.

The guy can hardly bowl 2 balls in one place and on one line and length.

His bowling has been all over the place for the last 3 years if not longer and him bowling at 142k-145k getting dispatched to the boundary in the same speed as they come to the batsmen.

What is a horror to add to that is his front foot issues that have played a major role in his bowling for a while now and as seen in this current series where he has at times got wickets off no balls just like Shannon Gabriel of West Indies.

 

[EliteCynical]

Is it a fair comment that the West indian pacers have out bowled the Pak Pacers in this series ? At least that is what i infer after skimming through the score cards?

Wahab is inconsistent. I think he gets carried away trying to bowl fast. Flashes of brilliance here and there, but not consistent. Wonder why? coz he comes across as an intelligent and humble guy who knows what he is doing. I expect more from him tough.

 

[Buffet]

Wahab just got to his career best ranking of 26. Right now he is at 28th rank. Let's see if he ever gets into the top 25 rank any time in his career. Coming two series is good opportunity for him.

It should be obvious that he doesn't have skill to do well consistently. He can produce some good spells.

 

[Abdullah719]

Is it a fair comment that the West indian pacers have out bowled the Pak Pacers in this series ? At least that is what i infer after skimming through the score cards?

Wahab is inconsistent. I think he gets carried away trying to bowl fast. Flashes of brilliance here and there, but not consistent. Wonder why? coz he comes across as an intelligent and humble guy who knows what he is doing. I expect more from him tough.

Wahab has done OK but Gabriel probably the best pacer in the series.

 

[cricketAXEpert]

Wahab does bowl some terrific spells where he makes an impact on the match despite not taking any wickets. But why does he find wicket-taking difficult?

It's not just five-wicket hauls, he rarely gets four in an innings and is yet to pick up more than six wickets in a match.

Has he been unfortunate? Is he over-rated?

Hopefully he can get his best match-figures in this game because it looks like we'll be needing all the help we can get to win this Test match...

He is not Over rated. But he lacks control, he bowls too many wayward balls. this is because he tries to bowl fast, I am ok with that. We need a genuine Pace Bowler in this squad.

 

[EliteCynical]

Wahab has done OK but Gabriel probably the best pacer in the series.

Actually just checked. Wahab has been the stand out fast bowler this series. Sad that the last test is being taken as a bad reflection of his entire performance as such. Gabriel had able support in Holder. Wahab may have been a lone horse, considering Bishoo and YAsir were almost at level pegging.

 

[Abdullah719]

Actually just checked. Wahab has been the stand out fast bowler this series. Sad that the last test is being taken as a bad reflection of his entire performance as such. Gabriel had able support in Holder. Wahab may have been a lone horse, considering Bishoo and YAsir were almost at level pegging.

View attachment 70431

Wahab, Amir and Rahat were all good at times but Gabriel was a threat most of the time in the last two matches. Stats are glorifying Holder a bit.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Actually just checked. Wahab has been the stand out fast bowler this series. Sad that the last test is being taken as a bad reflection of his entire performance as such. Gabriel had able support in Holder. Wahab may have been a lone horse, considering Bishoo and YAsir were almost at level pegging.

View attachment 70431

This is why stats are so misleading. Gabriel was the standout, Wahab a close second, Amir and Rahat third. Holder was toothless throughout. One decent spell in which 2-3 wickets were gifted.

 

[waleed88]

Wahab does bowl some terrific spells where he makes an impact on the match despite not taking any wickets. But why does he find wicket-taking difficult?

It's not just five-wicket hauls, he rarely gets four in an innings and is yet to pick up more than six wickets in a match.

Has he been unfortunate? Is he over-rated?

Hopefully he can get his best match-figures in this game because it looks like we'll be needing all the help we can get to win this Test match...

Misbah has gotten the best out of him, whereas under his previous/other captains he hasn't been treated or managed in the right way..

Afridi is known to say to Wahab that he requires a 'danda' to perform well

 

[EliteCynical]

This is why stats are so misleading. Gabriel was the standout, Wahab a close second, Amir and Rahat third. Holder was toothless throughout. One decent spell in which 2-3 wickets were gifted.

Hmm I see. Gabriel did bowl well even in the India series. Always good to see players getting rewarded for their hard work

 

[Dark Magician]

I don't know but it looks like you guys misuse Wahab. It took Australia years to realise that the only way to get the best out of Johnson is to let him bowl fast and try blasting out people. It worked because express pace is still very very important. Unfortunately you lot expect Wahab to bowl like Wasim and that's never gonna happen. Wahab should always be given 4 or 5 overs and told to bowl as fast as he can with attacking fields set for him.

 

[super hitter]

Wahab does bowl some terrific spells where he makes an impact on the match despite not taking any wickets. But why does he find wicket-taking difficult?

It's not just five-wicket hauls, he rarely gets four in an innings and is yet to pick up more than six wickets in a match.

Has he been unfortunate? Is he over-rated?

Hopefully he can get his best match-figures in this game because it looks like we'll be needing all the help we can get to win this Test match...

63 wickets in 36 innings isn't bad....that too when you know that he's a 'partnership-breaker' type of bowler.

 

[New Yorker]

Wahab does bowl some terrific spells where he makes an impact on the match despite not taking any wickets. But why does he find wicket-taking difficult?

It's not just five-wicket hauls, he rarely gets four in an innings and is yet to pick up more than six wickets in a match.

Has he been unfortunate? Is he over-rated?

Hopefully he can get his best match-figures in this game because it looks like we'll be needing all the help we can get to win this Test match...

If anything Wahab is much doing better than could be expected these days. A 28 average in Pakistani domestic cricket is mediocre. And he has relatively few big hauls to show for his efforts. He may be fast but he is not actually that penetrative. And he is still better than Rahat, who has never taken a 10fer in domestics. Don't know why people expect bowlers in their mid to late 20 and onwards to do better internationally than they have at home.

It is complacent to put Pakistan's defeat in the final Test down to complacency. As if they could have walked away with the match but just couldn't be bothered. They played a full strength side but were still pushed by the Windies through the entire series, not just the final dead rubber. So first, lets give credit to the Windies. Then maybe reflect on the consequences of not having many outright match winners in the team.

Wahab right now is doing just about well enough and he has earned his ticket to Oz. But in the long run the policy has to be to develop bowlers who are not merely niche players, of whom the best thing that can be said is not that they are just "doing fine" or "playing their role" - a euphemism for mediocrity if there ever was one. Isn't "the role" of of a player to excel? There is no excuse for not giving a run, sooner rather than later, to any of the handful of bowlers who are currently outperforming Wahab and Rahat (and Amir too) by miles in the domestics. Pakistan can do better, and will.

 

[New Yorker]

63 wickets in 36 innings isn't bad....that too when you know that he's a 'partnership-breaker' type of bowler.

It's deeply mediocre. And as far as I know, every wicket breaks a partnership.