My priority is to play for Pakistan: Wahab Riaz

KARACHI: Pakistan pacer Wahab Riaz, who has been selected for the upcoming England tour, said on Monday that his priority has always been to play for Pakistan and that he would be available to play Tests for the country.

Wahab and fellow pacer Mohammad Amir came under immense criticism when the duo opted out of Tests with Wahab taking an indefinite break from the longest format and Amir announcing retirement.

After Pakistan lost Test series to Australia 2-0, the two senior pacers were criticised for leaving the team when they were needed. Both have been left out of PCB’s central contract list and it is believed that they have been punished for choosing not to play Tests.

“I received a call from PCB and I was asked whether I would play in Tests if need arose. I said 'yes' since my top priority is to play for Pakistan,” Wahab told reporters. “These are very unusual circumstances. A player cannot be easily replaced since traveling would be next to impossible for the replacement to join the team,” he said.

Meanwhile, he said that he is a professional cricketer and he knows how to carry himself for different formats. He added that he is ready for the show. He said that he had decided to opt out of Tests to let young blood take the lead.

He said that he was not satisfied with what he had achieved so far in his career but one should also consider the fact that during the last decade, Pakistan played most of their games in the UAE where it is difficult for fast bowlers to perform well.