Wahab Riaz facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids

Wahab Riaz

Wahab in 2017

Chief Selector of Pakistan national cricket team

In office
17 November 2023 – 10 July 2024

Preceded by

Inzamam-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

28 June 1985 (age 40)
Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan

Nickname

Viki

Cricket information

Batting

Right-handed

Bowling

Left-arm fast

Role

Bowler

International information

National side

Pakistan (2008–2020)

Test debut (cap 202)

18 August 2010 v England

Last Test

7 October 2018 v Australia

ODI debut (cap 174)

2 February 2008 v Zimbabwe

Last ODI

3 November 2020 v Zimbabwe

ODI shirt no.

T20I debut (cap 24)

20 April 2008 v Bangladesh

Last T20I

20 December 2020 v New Zealand

T20I shirt no.

Domestic team information

Years

Team

2001/02–2018/19

Lahore

2003/04–2004/05

Hyderabad

2006/07–2014/15

National Bank of Pakistan

2006/07–2014/15

Punjab

2016–2023

Peshawar Zalmi

2017–2018

Barbados Tridents

2017/18–2018/19

WAPDA

2018/19–2020/21

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

2021/22–2022/23

Central 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) is a famous Pakistani former cricketer and cricket leader. He was the main selector for the Pakistan national cricket team from November 2023 to July 2024.

Wahab Riaz was known as a left-arm fast bowler and a right-handed batsman. He often bowled very fast, sometimes reaching speeds of about 144.8 km/h (90 mph). His amazing performance in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 made him famous around the world. In August 2018, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) gave him a special contract for the 2018–19 season.

In September 2019, Riaz decided to take a break from red-ball cricket (longer matches) to focus on shorter games. He also worked as an advisor for sports and youth affairs to the chief minister of Punjab.

Early Life and Family Background
Cricket Career Highlights
Role as a Selector
Political Career
See also

Early Life and Family Background

Wahab Riaz was born on June 28, 1985. His father, Sheikh Sikandar Riaz, was a businessman. Wahab comes from a Muslim Gujjar family, originally from Gujrat, Punjab. He went to school at Aitchison College, Lahore. Wahab is married to Zainab Chaudhary, and they have three children together.

Cricket Career Highlights

Wahab Riaz was chosen for Pakistan's T20I team for a special series in Bangladesh. In his first match against Bangladesh, he took 3 wickets for 22 runs. In the next game against India, he took two wickets.

Test Match Debut

Riaz played his first Test match against England in August 2010. England batted first, and Riaz took 5 wickets for 63 runs in their first turn. When it was Pakistan's turn to bat, he scored 27 runs.

He later played in the Test series against South Africa in October 2010. He took the wickets of famous players Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla. However, he got a side strain injury and could not play the rest of the series.

World Cup Performances

In March 2011, Riaz played for Pakistan in four matches. He did very well, especially in the semi-final of the 2011 Cricket World Cup against India. He took 5 wickets in that important match.

After the World Cup, Pakistan traveled to the West Indies for more matches. Riaz was part of the team. He took seven wickets in the One Day International (ODI) series, becoming Pakistan's top wicket-taker.

Playing for Kent in England

After the West Indies tour, Riaz joined Kent in England. He helped their team because some of their fast bowlers were injured. He played his first T20 match for Kent on June 11.

In his first home game for Kent, Riaz took a hat-trick! This means he took three wickets in three balls. He took 5 wickets for only 17 runs against Gloucestershire. This helped his team win easily.

Later Career and Records

In August 2016, Wahab Riaz had a tough day in an ODI match. He gave away 110 runs in his 10 overs, which is one of the highest amounts ever in ODI cricket.

In April 2018, he played for Punjab in the 2018 Pakistan Cup. In March 2019, he played for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the 2019 Pakistan Cup. He was one of the top wicket-takers in that tournament.

In June 2020, he was chosen for Pakistan's tour to England during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, he tested positive for COVID-19 before the tour. He later joined the team for the Test matches.

Wahab Riaz officially retired from international cricket in August 2023.

2015 Cricket World Cup Performance

In January 2015, Wahab Riaz was selected for Pakistan's team for the 2015 Cricket World Cup.

In the first matches, he took one wicket against India and West Indies. He then had a fantastic game against Zimbabwe. He scored 54 runs and took 4 wickets, earning the "man of the match" award.

He continued to perform well, taking two wickets against the UAE and three wickets against South Africa. In the quarter-final against Australia, he took the wicket of Australian captain Michael Clarke. He also had an intense exchange with Australian player Shane Watson. The ICC fined Riaz for this behavior.

Many famous cricketers praised Riaz's bowling against Australia. Michael Clarke said it was "as good as I've faced in ODI cricket for a long time." Kevin Pietersen called it the "Best spell of bowling by a foreigner on Aussie soil for years."

After the match, Wahab Riaz became very popular on social media. Brian Lara, a cricket legend, even tweeted that he wanted to meet Riaz and would pay his fine.

2019 Cricket World Cup Performance

In May 2019, Wahab Riaz was again chosen for Pakistan's team for the 2019 Cricket World Cup.

He played regularly in the tournament and took 11 wickets in 8 games. During this World Cup, he became Pakistan's second-highest wicket-taker in World Cup history. He passed the record of the great Imran Khan.

T20 Franchise Career

Wahab Riaz was a top player in the 2016 Pakistan Super League players draft. He was bought by Peshawar Zalmi for $140,000.

During a match in 2016, Riaz had a heated moment with batsman Ahmed Shehzad. The Pakistan Cricket Board fined both players.

He stayed with Peshawar Zalmi for the 2017 season. Peshawar won the tournament that year. By the end of 2017, Riaz was the leading wicket-taker in the PSL. He has played for Peshawar Zalmi in every season. In February 2022, he took his 100th wicket in the PSL, becoming the first player to reach this milestone.

Wahab Riaz has also played for many other T20 teams around the world:

Kandahar in the 2018–19 Afghanistan Premier League
Brampton Wolves in the 2019 Global T20 Canada
Cape Town Blitz in the 2019 Mzansi Super League
Dhaka Platoon in the 2019–20 Bangladesh Premier League
Kandy Tuskers in the 2020 Lanka Premier League
St Lucia Zouks in the 2021 Caribbean Premier League
Jaffna Kings in the 2021 Lanka Premier League
Northern Superchargers in The Hundred in England (2022 season)

In January 2023, while playing for the Khulna Tigers in the 2022–23 Bangladesh Premier League, he became the first Pakistani bowler to take 400 wickets in T20 matches.

Role as a Selector

Wahab Riaz was appointed as the main selector for the Pakistan national team on November 17, 2023. In March 2024, his role changed, but he remained part of the selection committee. After the team did not do well in the 2024 Men's T20 World Cup, Riaz was removed from the selection committee.

Political Career

In January 2023, Wahab Riaz was named as the sports minister in the Mohsin Raza Naqvi's temporary Punjab government. He later became an Advisor to the Chief Minister of Punjab for sports and youth affairs on March 22, 2023.