Wahab Riaz, Yasir Shah claim unity after rift rumors

Two of Pakistan’s leading bowlers were apparently seen involved in a tussle during the practice session. Pace bowler Wahab Riaz and leg-spinner Yasir Shah were involved in an altercation on the eve of the first Test match against Australia. The news spread like wildfire on the media with photos of them having an argument were circulated.

Now, the two senior statesmen of the team have taken to social media to quash any such rumors of conflict. It all happened during the practice sessions at Gabba on Wednesday. The Pakistan team was set to play a practice football match. Yasir was then seen confronting Wahab during the warm-up. Skipper Misbah-ul-Haq and coach Mickey Arthur looked on as the rift took place. The paparazzi were right there to snap in the action on the field.

Just when the news started spreading about the disharmony among the two, both players took to social media and claimed unity in the team. Wahab Riaz took to Instagram and posted a video message for the fans. He was seen with Yasir Shah in the short video.

Yasir quoted in the video that there is nothing as such as shown in the media. “Yasir and I are very good friends and we are united,” the left-arm quick said, in Urdu.  “Wrong things have been reported in the media. We will play together tomorrow. You all need to pray for us. Thank you,” Wahab Riaz said.

We are friends

A post shared by Wahab Riaz (@wahabviki) on Dec 14, 2016 at 3:09am PST

Yasir Shah was not far behind either. He posted a picture of the two players together with smiles written all over their faces. The Pakistani fans can only hope that the rumors are indeed untrue and the rift has been pushed aside by the two. If Pakistan are to succeed in the series, they need both players to fire well simultaneously.

pic.twitter.com/zzRRQAfWgr

— Yasir Shah Offical (@Shah64Y) December 14, 2016

Riaz had earlier praised Yasir as the trump card for Pakistan on the tour. Australian skipper Steve Smith is also aware of the prowess of the leggie. He called him as a major threat for the Australian team in the series. “He’s a class bowler. He’s pretty accurate as a leg-spinner, he’s got good skills and we’re going to have to be wary of him in this series,” Smith quoted.

Wahab, too, has good memories of bowling in Australia. He had bowled a fiery spell at Shane Watson in the 2015 ICC World Cup. He will look to unsettle the Australian batsmen with his pace this time around as well. Pakistan are scheduled to play 3 Tests and 5 ODIs during the tour.