ISLAMABAD Aug 16 (Online): Left-arm fast-bowler Wahab Riaz announced his retirement from international cricket on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cStepping off the international pitch, after an incredible journey, I\u2019ve decided to retire from international cricket,\u201d Wahab \u2014 who is also a sports adviser for the Punjab caretaker government \u2014 said on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).<\/p>\n
He thanked the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), his family, coaches, mentors, teammates, fans and \u201ceveryone who supported me\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cExciting times ahead in the world of franchise cricket,\u201d he said.
\nAccording to ESPN cricknfo, Wahab played 27 Tests, 91 ODIs and 36 T20Is for Pakistan and last turned out in national colours back in 2020.<\/p>\n
He picked up 83 wickets in Test cricket at an average of 34.50, 120 in ODIs at 34.30, while in T20Is, he had 34 wickets at 28.55. He was most recently part of Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League 2023.<\/p>\n
ESPNcricinfo also quoted a press statement issued by Wahab as saying, \u201cI have been speaking about my retirement plans past two years, that 2023 is my target to retire from International cricket, and I feel comfortable now more than ever that I have served my country and national team to the best I could have.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said it was an \u201chonour and a privilege\u201d to represent Pakistan on the international stage.
\nAs 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Later in the day, Wahab also addressed a press conference in Lahore where he was asked about the possibility of becoming a coach in the future.
\nHe said that the decision would ultimately lie with the PCB but that he would \u201clove\u201d to coach younger players. He said that if an opportunity presented itself in Pakistan or abroad, he would go for it as he had learnt a lot over his career which he would like to \u201ctransfer\u201d to younger players.<\/p>\n
He also asserted that his decision to retire from international cricket was not \u201cemotional\u201d but was rooted in \u201creality\u201d.
\n\u201cI believe in reality. The kind of bowlers the Pakistan team has, I think it would be unfair for me to play in the team. So this is not an emotional decision,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD Aug 16 (Online): Left-arm fast-bowler Wahab Riaz announced his retirement from international cricket on Wednesday. \u201cStepping off the international pitch, after an incredible journey, I\u2019ve decided to retire from international cricket,\u201d Wahab \u2014 who is also a sports adviser for the Punjab caretaker government […]<\/p>\n
\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":87253,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11121,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-87250","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cricket-news","category-latest-sports-news"],"yoast_head":"\n