Pakistan pacer Wahab Riaz set to start his new role as interim sports minister of Punjab

In an intriguing chain of events, Pakistan fast bowler Wahab Riaz has taken up a new role as the interim sports minister of Punjab (under the jurisdiction of the caretaker government of the province) and is also set to play in the eighth edition of the Pakistan Super League.

Wahab Riaz is a household name in International cricket following his exploits for Pakistan over the years. He was a key player for Pakistan for many years and has been part of numerous World Cup campaigns for his side. His ability to bowl fast causes a lot of trouble to the batters. But it seems that Wahab has fallen out of favour lately as he has not played for the national side since December 2020.

The newly chosen state cabinet was sworn in at the Governor House in Lahore by Punjab Governor Baligh Ur Rehman recently. The left-arm pacer was not there due to his obligations pertaining to the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League.

Wahab Riaz, Tamkinat Karim, and Naseem Sadiq did not show up for the ceremony, leaving eight out of the eleven members, including Bilal Afzal, SM Tanveer, Dr. Javed Akram, Ibrahim Murad, Dr. Jamal Nasir, Mansoor Qadir, and Syed Azfar Ali Nasir and Amir Mir, to take oath in person.

“After reviewing my past couple of years’ performances in red-ball cricket and the upcoming limited-overs cricket, I have decided to take time off from first-class cricket. During this period, I would like to focus on 50-over and 20-over cricket and continue to access my fitness for the longer version of the game. At a stage I feel I cannot only return but also perform with the red ball, I would make myself available,” said Wahab during an interview as reported by NDTV.

Wahab was one of the most consistent players for Pakistan in the shorter formats of the game. The 37-year-old has taken 237 wickets in 154 international games for Pakistan and has not yet ruled out a return to the national side. Wahab has been the best bowler in the ONGOING BPL and has taken 12 wickets in six games at an economy of 6.53.

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