Discarded pacer Wahab Riaz responds to Mickey Arthur's criticism

Pakistan national team head coach Mickey Arthur’s latest subject of criticism is none other than the discarded pacer Wahab Riaz. He wasn’t included in the recently announced 25-man Test probables for the upcoming Ireland and England tours. Arthur wants the pacer to push himself and get out of the comfort zone to represent the national side.

According to reports, Wahab took part in a fitness test and he scored 17.4, which is above the qualification mark but, Arthur wanted the pacer to touch at least 19 to get into the probable list. The failure in the fitness test is the main reason behind his omission from the Test camp for the upcoming UK tour.

“He has not won us a game in two years,” Arthur told ESPNCricinfo. “I expect players that have been around for a long time to be winning us games and setting standards. Otherwise, we will invest in younger players who have long futures. We have good youngsters around. [Dropping] Wahab is a big decision but we have chosen a squad according to the time of year, country and conditions. The guys need to push themselves and get out of their comfort zones.”

Wahab responds to the criticism

When asked about his omission from the Test camp, the pacer said that his performances in both domestic and international cricket are up to the mark and he further added that he’s doing whatever is needed to get back into the national camp. He concluded it by stressing that he’s the top pacer in Test cricket for Pakistan at the moment.

“If you look at my performances in domestic cricket or during the last Test match for Pakistan, you will see that I have performed well. As a player, I am doing what needs to be done [to get selected], I am in no position to say anything about it. As a player, my job is to perform. Overall, I have performed in Tests whenever I’ve played and given my best. In terms of the wickets column, I think I will be on the top,” he said as quoted by Business Recorder.

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