My first memory of Wahab Riaz was of a chilly morning in Sheikhupura on the second day of February in 2008. He had broken into the Pakistan team on the back of notable performance, his aggressive outlook in bowling and the ability to bowl fast. He managed to take just one wicket and went for 65 runs.
That became the hallmark of Wahab’s career. He promised more, threatened more but delivered, or managed to deliver less. In a career spanning 27 Tests for 83 wickets, 91 one-day internationals for 120 and 34 wickets in 36 T20Is, the stats aren’t very impressive but the impact Wahab had on Pakistan’s bowling wasn’t justified by these figures. But that is the way cookies crumble.
While announcing retirement in Lahore on Wednesday, Wahab admitted to en.wenews.pk that he fell short of what he had set out for. “Yes, I think I could have achieved more than my stats show but there are no regrets. There are chances and you try your best to do the best for your country. I am satisfied in the sense that I played every match with sincerity and with a will to help my team win.”
Two years on from his ODI debut he was handed Test cap in the fourth Test against England in the ill-fated tour of England. Wahab impressed all the pundits of the game with his pace that fetched him a five-wicket haul in the Oval Test. In the very next Test a sting operation by a British tabloid caught then skipper Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir orchestrating a spot fixing deal in return for money. All three were charged, banned for a minimum of five years and were also jailed.
Wahab remembers that ” as the most forgetful period of Pakistan cricket.”
“It was tough on the whole team,” said Wahab. “I was new so I had to take the mantle of bowling. But the kind of pressure we had was tough to handle.”
The sentence of Amir and Asif gave Wahab a chance to further his career. He made his mark in the 2011 World Cup with some quality bowling. His five-wicket haul in the highly charged semi-final gave Pakistan a chance to beat India in Mohali, but in the final analysis a target of 261 proved beyond Shahid Afridi’s men.
Wahab recalls the semi-final as the turning point of his career. “The 2011 World Cup semi-final was the turning point of my career. It was a highly charged game and after some aggressive batting by Virendar Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar we managed to restrict them to a gettable total. I still feel we should have won that game,” said Wahab.
Another chance in the 2015 World Cup when his hostile spell of fast bowling subdued Shane Watson and had Rahat Ali not drop a sitter off his bowling, Pakistan would have pulled off the quarter-final. In the end Pakistan’s 213 run total proved below par for Australia. “Yes, I enjoyed that spell but once again it was a lost cause.”
Wahab was once again unlucky to miss out on Pakistan’s 2017 Champions Trophy triumph. He walked off the field in the opening game against India at Birmingham and had to miss the final as well. “I regret missing the 2017 Champions Trophy final but it was Allah’s will. We won the trophy and I had to watch the match from the sidelines.”
Wahab was given another chance in the 2019 World Cup after head coach Mickey Arthur chose him over Faheem Ashraf. Pakistan’s campaign started on a wrong foot when they were thrashed by the West Indies in the opening game. Pakistan failed to reach the last four and Wahab ended with 11 wickets in eight matches.
“We lost the first match badly and the minus five net run-rate haunted us throughout the tournament,” remembers Wahab. “But after losing the first game we beat title favourites England in the second game and had our game against Sri Lanka not been washed out we would have reached the semi-final.”
Wahab surprised everyone by taking an indefinite retirement from Test cricket in 2019. He had followed Mohammad Amir in abandoning red ball cricket, leaving the new head coach Misbah-ul-Haq in lurch. Misbah did not take the decision of the two bowlers lightly and refused to take them back in the Test side. Pakistan lost both the Tests by innings due to an inexperienced bowling attack.
Wahab then made his mark in the Pakistan Super League, helping Peshawar Zalmi to the title in 2017 finishing with 15 wickets — second behind Karachi Kings’ Sohail Khan who took 16. In the eight editions of PSL Wahab has been faithful to Zalmi, taking a record 113 wickets in 88 matches.
“I wanted to play in the 2023 World Cup and end my career,” revealed Wahab. “But since Pakistan have a better bowling attack and I see no chance of coming into the side so I decided that enough is enough. I am retiring with satisfaction that I played all my cricket with sincerity. I will continue to play T20 cricket leagues.
“Maybe in the future, if PCB needs me, I am ready to coach young players and take part in talk shows.
“It has been an honor and a privilege to represent Pakistan on the international stage. As I bid farewell to this chapter, I am thrilled to embark on a new adventure in franchise cricket, where I hope to entertain and inspire audiences while competing against some of the best talents in the world.”
