KARACHI: Peshawar Zalmi’s left-arm fast bowler, Wahab Riaz, vouched to recast the spell which left former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson clueless in the 2015 World Cup quarter final, adding that his priority would be to play “for the team first.”
“I have set some bars for my performances because people want me to do the same thing as I had done in 2015. Obviously, I want to clear that. I want to do it again. My priority would be to perform for the team,” Riaz told Arab News earlier this week.
Riaz bowled one of the most ferocious overs in World Cup history helping Pakistan beat Australia in Adelaide on March 19.
Watson, who is representing Pakistan Super League (PSL) champions, the Quetta Gladiators, this year was up against the Zalmis for their second match at the National Stadium in Karachi on Saturday.
The Zalmis almost chased the Karachi Kings’ impressive target of 202 runs on Friday, with Riaz saying that the batting line had become strong after the inclusion of senior batsman, Shoaib Malik.
“I think the limitations were in the last four seasons, because our middle order was not that strong. But after having Shoaib Malik in the team, and the way he has been performing all around the world, I think it’s amazing to have him in the team,” Riaz said, adding that the team had a great combination of players this year.
“It’s amazing that we are getting bowlers who can bowl 140 plus, and Amir is a very sensational bowler. He has got that quality. I think we need to groom these players...and obviously, he is a player who can represent Pakistan in the coming future,” he said in reference to one of the emerging fast bowlers from his team.
Riaz has been a part of Peshawar Zalmi since its inception in 2015 and credits the team’s goodwill to the manner in which the management “takes care of the players.”
“I think the kind of atmosphere we had in Peshawar, it’s amazing ...and especially the way they take care of the players, and the confidence they give to the players. I think it’s not all about money, but it’s all about how the franchise looks after you. So I think that’s the best thing I have seen in Peshawar,” he said.
Wahab welcomed the return of international cricket to Pakistan, which he said gave young players the platform to deal with the pressure, especially in front of a huge crowd, adding in the same breath that he missed playing in front of his home crowd in Peshawar.
“They would love to see their team playing in front of their home crowd. But unfortunately, the grounds are not ready yet. Hopefully by next year, the ground will be ready,” he said.
‘Team first’, Riaz says on repeating 2015 performance against Watson
https://arab.news/rgjkq
‘Team first’, Riaz says on repeating 2015 performance against Watson
- Peshawar Zalmi’s left-arm pacer hopes to play in front of home crowd in Peshawar next year
- Credits stronger batting streak to decision to include Shoaib Malik in the team
Pakistan’s Sindh orders inquiry after clashes at Imran Khan party rally in Karachi
- Khan’s PTI party accuses police of shelling to disperse its protesters, placing hurdles to hinder rally in Karachi
- Sindh Local Government Minister Nasir Hussain Shah vows all those found guilty in the inquiry will be punished
ISLAMABAD: The government in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province has ordered an inquiry into clashes that took place between police and supporters of former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party in Karachi on Sunday, as it held a rally to demand his release from prison.
The provincial government had granted PTI permission to hold a public gathering at Karachi’s Bagh-i-Jinnah Park and had also welcomed Sohail Afridi, the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where Khan’s party is in power, when he arrived in the city last week. However, the PTI cited a delay in receiving a permit and announced a last-minute change to a gate of Mazar-i-Quaid, the mausoleum of the nation’s founder.
Despite the change, PTI supporters congregated at the originally advertised venue. PTI officials claimed the party faced obstacles in reaching the venue and that its supporters were met with police intervention. Footage of police officers arresting Khan supporters in Karachi were shared widely on social media platforms.
“A complete inquiry is being held and whoever is found guilty in this, he will be punished,” Sindh Local Government Minister Nasir Hussain Shah said while speaking to a local news channel on Sunday.
Shah said the PTI had sought permission to hold its rally at Bagh-i-Jinnah in Karachi from the Sindh government, even though the venue’s administration falls under the federal government’s jurisdiction.
He said problems arose when the no objection certificate to hold the rally was delayed for a few hours and the party announced it would hold the rally “on the road.”
The rally took place amid rising tensions between the PTI and Pakistan’s military and government. Khan, who remains in jail on a slew of charges he says are politically motivated since August 2023, blames the military and the government for colluding to keep him away from power by rigging the 2024 general election and implicating him in false cases. Both deny his allegations.
Since Khan was ousted in a parliamentary vote in April 2022, the PTI has complained of a widespread state crackdown, while Khan and his senior party colleagues have been embroiled in dozens of legal cases.
