Wahab Riaz has bid adieu to international cricket seven years after an on-field fight with former India captain Virat Kohli’s lookalike. Riaz, who last represented Pakistan in a T20I in New Zealand more than two years ago, represented the country for a total of 154 times across the three formats.
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Riaz, however, still wishes to entertain fans by playing in different T20 leagues across the globe. There were a lot of ups and downs in Riaz’s international journey but it is still counted as one of the best with respect to Pakistani pacers in the last decade.
“I have been speaking about my retirement plans from the past two years that 2023 is my target to retire from international cricket, and I feel comfortable now more than ever that I have served my country and national team to the best I could have,” Riaz said in a press statement.
When Wahab Riaz Fought With Virat Kohli’s Lookalike In The PSL
Pakistan batter Ahmed Shehzad is considered as Kohli’s lookalike. Even though cricket-crazy fans have been drawing parallels between the two for a long time now, the comparisons were at their peak during India-Pakistan ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 match in Melbourne. In addition to similar facial features, the two cricketers also share a cordial bond as per Shehzad.
For those who don’t know, Riaz and Shehzad fought during a PSL 2016 match between Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. During the fifth over of Gladiators’ innings, Shehzad smashed a brilliant six off Riaz. On the very next ball, Riaz dismissed him before screaming loudly as the batter was on his way back to the pavilion.
Not impressed by the same, Shehzad raised his bat in response which ignited Riaz as well. As a result, both of them pushed each other back before other players separated them away. While Riaz was fined 40% of his match fees, Shehzad had to give away 30% of his fee.
Readers must note that Riaz still represents Peshawar in the PSL. Shehzad, on the other hand, hasn’t played a PSL match since 2020. Having not played an international match in almost four years now, Shehzad has still not announced his retirement from the highest level.
7 Months Before Announcing International Retirement, Wahab Riaz Had Commenced Political Journey
It is to be noted that Riaz joined former Pakistani captain Imran Khan and former batter Aamir Sohail in entering a rare club of cricketers-turned-politicians. It was in January this year when he was named as the caretaker sports minister in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Punjab’s Chief Minister, Mohsin Naqvi, had himself confirmed Riaz’s appointment.
Interestingly, not many active cricketers are able to join politics for valid reasons. Former Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza, former India spinner Harbhajan Singh and batter Manoj Tiwary are a few such examples who donned the political hat whilst playing at some level of representative cricket.
