Wahab Riaz

Wahab Riaz
Wahab in 2017
Chief Selector of Pakistan national cricket team
Assumed office
17 November 2023
Preceded byInzamam-ul-Haq
Advisor to the Chief Minister of Punjab for Sports and Youth Affairs
In office
22 March 2023 – 27 February 2024
Personal details
Born (1985-06-28) 28 June 1985 (age 39)
Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
Height1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[2]
NicknameViki[1]
Cricket information
BattingRight-handed
BowlingLeft-arm fast
RoleBowler
International information
National side
Test debut (cap 202)18 August 2010 v England
Last Test7 October 2018 v Australia
ODI debut (cap 174)2 February 2008 v Zimbabwe
Last ODI3 November 2020 v Zimbabwe
ODI shirt no.47
T20I debut (cap 24)20 April 2008 v Bangladesh
Last T20I20 December 2020 v New Zealand
T20I shirt no.47
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
2001/02–2018/19Lahore[a]
2003/04–2004/05Hyderabad
2006/07–2014/15National Bank of Pakistan
2006/07–2014/15Punjab
2016–2023Peshawar Zalmi
2017–2018Barbados Tridents
2017/18–2018/19WAPDA
2018/19–2020/21Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
2021/22–2022/23Central Punjab
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI FC LA
Matches 27 91 136 191
Runs scored 306 740 2,675 1,470
Batting average 8.50 14.50 16.51 16.33
100s/50s 0/0 0/3 0/10 0/5
Top score 39 54* 84 77
Balls bowled 5,018 4,327 23,328 8,917
Wickets 83 120 441 260
Bowling average 34.50 34.30 29.13 30.81
5 wickets in innings 2 1 16 5
10 wickets in match 0 0 5 0
Best bowling 5/63 5/46 9/59 5/24
Catches/stumpings 5/– 29/– 41/– 59/–
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 25 July 2022

Wahab Riaz (Urdu: وہاب ریاض; born 28 June 1985) is a Pakistani cricket administrator and former cricketer who is the chief selector of Pakistan national cricket team from 17 November 2023. He also served as an advisor to the chief minister of Punjab for sports and youth affairs, in the caretaker government headed by Mohsin Raza Naqvi.[3]

Riaz was a left-arm fast bowler and a right-handed batsman. He frequently bowled at speeds of around 90 mph (144.8 km/h) and had reached 96 miles per hour (154 km/h). His all round performance in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 earned him worldwide recognition. In August 2018, he was one of 33 players to be awarded a central contract for the 2018–19 season by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).[4][5] In September 2019, Riaz announced that he would be taking a break from red-ball cricket to focus on the shorter formats of the game.[6] In June 2020, Riaz said he was willing to play Test cricket again, ahead of Pakistan's tour to England.[7]

  1. ^ "In pictures: Wahab Riaz celebrates daughter's first birthday". SAMAA TV. 25 May 2021. Retrieved 6 November 2022. ...Wahab, also known by his nickname Viki...
  2. ^ "Profile". Sportskeeda. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  3. ^ "Wahab Riaz to head national men's selection committee". 10 January 2014.
  4. ^ "PCB Central Contracts 2018–19". Pakistan Cricket Board. 10 January 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  5. ^ "New central contracts guarantee earnings boost for Pakistan players". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  6. ^ "Wahab Riaz takes break from red-ball cricket to focus on shorter formats". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
  7. ^ "Wahab Riaz willing to return to Test cricket on England tour". ESPN Cricinfo. 15 June 2020. Retrieved 15 June 2020.


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