Pakistan pacer Riaz retires from international cricket

Agencies | Lahore

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Pakistani fast bowler Wahab Riaz announced his retirement from international cricket yesterday, three years after playing his last match for the country.

The 38-year-old left-armer said he felt it was the right time to draw the curtain on a 15-year international career. “I wanted to play the 2023 World Cup but felt that I stand no chance of a comeback, so this is the right time,” Riaz told a news conference in Lahore. Known for his pace and aggression, Riaz made his oneday debut in 2008, and played his first Test in the spot-fixingmarred 2010 series in England.

The last Test of that series resulted in five-year bans for captain Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir for conspiring to bowl deliberate no-balls in return for money.

Riaz went on to anchor Pakistan’s pace attack, and made a big impact with a five-wicket haul in the highly charged 2011 World Cup semi-final against arch-rivals India in Mohali, which he called “the most memorable match in my career”.

“I could have achieved more than what I did but there are no regrets,” he said. Riaz took 83 wickets in 27 Tests, and 120 wickets in 91 ODIs. He also grabbed 34 wickets in 36 Twenty20 internationals.