Wahab Riaz was seen to have a downfall in his ODI performance against England; observing which the selectors decided to disclude Wahab from the 23 probables to play World Cup 2019.
This was a great shock for the fans as his performance in Pakistan Super League this year was undoubtedly spellbounding, being the third-highest wicket taker with 17 wickets. Also, his performance from World Cup 2015 was admired by the fans.
With the distinct ability of Riaz to reverse swing the ball that sets him apart from other ballers, he couldn’t have been kept away from selection long. In a press conference on 20 May, Pakistan’s chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq announced the 15 player squad for World Cup 2019 and not to fan’s surprise Riaz was one of the 15. He has played the past two consecutive WCs of 2011 and 2015, now he’s all set for WC 2019 too. More Cricket updates on this website
However, some people are still curious and confused about his (Wahab Riaz’s) delayed inclusion in the squad to which Inzamam-ul-Haq was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo, “Whatever you plan, you keep room to review it as well, i don’t compromise on the team’s requirements. If he (Wahab) wasn’t originally picked in the squad, it didn’t mean that he had been discarded forever.”
The chief selector however added that he understands Riaz’s name wasn't close to being included in the 23 probables being chosen for the World Cup, but all the names incorporated in the squad now are not there without a reason. It is Riaz’s ability to reverse swing the ball which makes up for the rationale behind bringing Riaz back.
Having bowlers good with the old ball on the team would be a requirement since the pitch has been observed to be flat in UK this season so on-hand experienced players could put up a good show. Riaz was dropped based on his form from the test series but in domestic cricket he has been doing well as explained by Inzamam. The drastic changes in the selection are said to be taken on these grounds.
Bringing him to play World Cup 2019 isn’t a decision based on any panic, instead this decision is “purely based on the requirement", says Inzamam.
Following that announcement, the left-arm seamer Riaz revealed about his dream regarding the selection. Talking to the media he said, "Inzi Bhai came in my dream a few days ago, calling me up and saying that Wahab this is your last chance, you’re going to play the World Cup."
Despite not being included in the 23 probables Riaz was positive and optimistic about playing the tournament. But now that he has been selected the expectations of the fans are going up on Wahab and there’s a lot of pressure building up.
Fans are enthralled and resharing the heated spell between Shane Watson and Wahab Riaz from 2015 World Cup, expecting to see the same enthusiasm and performance from Riaz.
“There are pressures and expectations. I was out of the team for the last two years and worked hard. I will try to fulfil everyone’s expectations,” he said.
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