Wahab Riaz rejects Mankading, reveals funny incident involving Yasir Shah

Pakistan pacer Wahab Riaz believes that there is no fun in winning a match through Mankading, in an exclusive interview with Cricket Pakistan.

Named after legendary Indian bowler Vinoo Mankad, Mankading is a method of run out where a bowler dismisses the non-striker by removing the bails before bowling when the latter is outside the crease.

Riaz believes that Mankading is against sportsman spirit which is why he will back his skills to dismiss a batsman.

“I will deliver the ball normally because I think Mankading is against sportsman spirit. I will back my skills to dismiss the batsman because there is no fun in winning if you adopt such tactics,” said Riaz when asked if he would opt for such a thing if two runs were required off the last ball to win a match and he had the ball in his hand.

The left-arm pacer also spoke about Pakistan’s challenging tour of England, which is likely to take place in August.

“It will be a challenging task for the Pakistan team but the good thing is the revival of cricket,” he said. “I appreciate the steps taken by the PCB and ECB to make this happen.”

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The 34-year-old also spoke about his indefinite break from Test cricket and possibility of return.

“I will only play Test cricket if I’m able to perform and be a regular part of the team, rather than warming the bench,” he said. “Before my decision to take a break from Test cricket, I was not part of the side for almost two years and my good performances were largely in white-ball cricket.”

The Lahore-born also revealed the funniest moment of his career, which involved leg-spinner Yasir Shah, during a match against Australia in Melbourne.

“We were once on a tour of Australia and we were struggling in Melbourne. Yasir Shah was hit for a six by Mitchell Starc despite the boundaries being very big,” he said. “I started toying with Yasir and told him that Starc will hit him towards the tunnel in the stadium as well and that is exactly what happened. Seeing that I burst into laughter.”