Wahab Riaz breaks silence on removal from PCB selection committee

Former cricketer Wahab Riaz has reacted to the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) decision to drop him from the team’s selection panel, saying he has given his “100% for the betterment of Pakistan cricket”.

Earlier, the PCB, in its statement issued today, confirmed that the services of Abdul Razzaq and Wahab Riaz are no longer required in the national selection committee following the team’s dismal performance in the T20 World Cup 2024.

“My time as a member of the selection committee for PCB is coming to an end, I just want my people to know that I have served the game I love with loyalty and sincerity and have given 100% for the betterment of Pakistan cricket,” he said the former cricketer, while giving his statement on X, ex-Twitter, following PCB’s decision to remove him from his responsibilities on the team’s board.

“It was an honor to serve as a member of the selection committee. Making collective decisions as part of the seven-man selection committee for the national team was a privilege — everyone’s vote carried equal weight, we made selection decisions as a team and shared the responsibility of this process it was also an honor to contribute to it.”

“I am grateful to the people who prayed for me. I wish nothing but success for the future of the Pakistan cricket team,” he concluded in his statement.

The board has retained Mohammad Yousuf, Asad Shafiq and Bilal Afzal in the selection committee which also includes the captain and coach.

Earlier, Wahab dismissed reports suggesting that he exerted pressure on the selection committee. “I do not agree with the statements being discussed about putting pressure on the selection committee members,” the former pacer said in a post on X’s account.

Asked how one vote could dominate six as the selection committee consisted of seven members, he pointed out that everything was recorded in the minutes of the meeting.

Soon after his removal as a selector, Riaz was also sacked as the senior manager of the men’s team.

The PCB removed Wahab and Manager Mansoor Rana from their posts due to lack of discipline during the last three tours of the men’s national team.

Pakistan recently toured Ireland and England for the T20I series before heading to the United States and West Indies for the 2024 T20 World Cup, where they made a group stage exit.