Pakistan quick Wahab Riaz announced his retirement from international cricket on Wednesday. Wahab retires with more than 150 appearances for his country since his debut in 2008, with the majority of those coming in white-ball cricket where he excelled while bowling with the new ball. The left-armer appeared at the three most recent editions of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup and managed a magnificent five-wicket haul for Pakistan against arch-rival India at the semi-final stage of the 2011 tournament in Mohali. The 38-year-old has not played for his country since he featured in a T20I against New Zealand in Hamilton at the end of 2020 and believes the time is right to depart from the international game. “I have been speaking about my retirement plans 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,” Wahab said in a statement. Wahab retires with 237 wickets for Pakistan since making his international debut against Zimbabwe in 2008. “As I bid farewell to this chapter, I am thrilled to embark on a new adventure in franchise cricket, where I hope to entertain and inspire audiences while competing against some of the best talents in the world.” he added. He played 27 Tests for Pakistan, taking 83 wickets at an average of 34.50, with the best bowling figures of 5/63. He has three four-wicket hauls and two five-wicket hauls for Pakistan. He also played 91 ODIs for Pakistan, taking 120 wickets at an average of 34.40, with the best bowling figures of 5/46. He has five four-hauls and one five-wicket haul in ODIs. In 36 T20Is for Pakistan, he took 34 wickets at an average of 28.55 and an economy rate of 8.20, with the best figures of 3/18. He is at 18th position among Pakistan’s top wicket-takers in international cricket, with Wasim Akram (916 wickets), Waqar Younis (789 wickets) and Imran Khan (544 wickets) in the top three.
