Wahab Riaz accuses former PCB leadership of sidelining senior cricketers

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Pakistan's experienced pacer Wahab Riaz has spoken out about the issue of favoritism during the tenure of former PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja and Chief Selector Mohammad Wasim.

 In an exclusive interview with a local media news channel, Wahab criticized Wasim's selection process and questioned the sidelining of senior cricketers, such as Imad Wasim, Shoaib Malik, and Sarfaraz Ahmed. 

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"Laptop chief selector [Wasim] did the poor selection. He didn't have justification for non-selection of players like Imad Wasim, Shoaib Malik and Sarfaraz Ahmed," he highlighted during an exclusive interview.

"Shoaib and Imad performed well in T20 World Cup 2021. Why their performance didn't come on his laptop? Why they were ignored for T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia? What was their fault?" the 37-years-old cricketer asked. 

He also highlighted the need for a limit to favoritism in the sport and argued that age should not be the sole criteria for selection.

"I know Ramiz Bhai was the last authority. The chief selector was bound to communicate with us but in our culture, you communicate with people who always agree with you. You don't communicate to the people who know how to defend their stance," he mentioned. 

Wahab, who last played an international match in 2020, was dropped from the squad after a strong performance in two ODIs and three T20Is that year.

 Despite this, he has not given up hope of a comeback and has been performing well in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) 2023.

 He recently became the second pacer in T20 history to take 400 wickets and is determined to make a case for a return to the national side, particularly as it is a World Cup year. 

"There must be a limit to favouritism. It's not right to sideline players calling them over-aged. If age is important, then the rule must be the same for everyone," the veteran pacer highlighted. 

"Take the example of Misbah Bhai, who performed for Pakistan at 40+ age. I think the peak of any cricketer starts after the age of 30. There are a lot of other examples too. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Faf Du Plessis, all are 30+, but performing for their teams. In my opinion, age must not be the criteria. If any senior player is worthy for the team, he should be selected regardless of age," he maintained. 

He has stated that he will decide his future after this year's mega 50-over format event.

"My job is to perform and make my case stronger. Obviously, it's World Cup year and I really want to represent Pakistan once again," added Wahab who had already stated that he will decide his future after this year's mega 50-over format event.