Sarfraz Nawaz reveals shocking insights of warning PCB against Wahab Riaz's appointment after his sacking

Former Pakistan fast bowler Sarfraz Nawaz has claimed that he had suggested the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) against the hiring of Wahab Riaz as the national selector of the men's cricket team. Nawaz revealed that he had already warned Zaka Ashraf and Mohsin Naqvi of the upcoming consequences.

Recently, Wahab Riaz and Abdul Razzaq were sacked from the PCB selection panel after Pakistan's dismal performance in the T20 World Cup 2024. Wahab had joined the panel in November 2023 after Pakistan's failure to qualify for the semi-finals in ODI World Cup 2023, held in India.

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Sarfraz Nawaz reacts to the sacking of Wahab Riaz

While speaking to a local news channel, Sarfraz Nawaz revealed that he had already warned former PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf and current PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi about Wahab Riaz's lack of abilities as an administrator but nobody listened to him back then.

"I am on record to have written letters to Zaka (Ashraf) and (Mohsin) Naqvi regarding Wahab’s (Riaz) suspected past and his lack of abilities as an administrator. Nobody paid heed to my suggestion. I knew well that Wahab was not capable of delivering in any capacity yet he was made selector, advisor and manager. On all fronts, he failed," Sarfraz Nawaz claimed.

After being removed from the post on Wednesday (July 10), Wahab Riaz took to X (formerly Twitter) and claimed that he had a lot to say but did not want to get involved in a blame game.

"Babar Azam is low in confidence" - Sarfraz Nawaz

The legendary Pakistan fast bowler also spoke about Babar Azam and the possible choices for Pakistan's captaincy in white-ball cricket. Sarfraz Nawaz claimed that Mohammad Rizwan is the perfect option to lead Pakistan given his captaincy records in domestic cricket and in PSL, where his team Multan Sultans has done consistently well over the years.

"(Mohammad) Rizwan has proved his captaincy credentials by helping KPK win all domestic events in the past while his performance as Multan Sultans’ captain has been consistent over the years. He is the best choice for the job. Babar Azam is low in confidence and should not be considered for the job," Sarfraz Nawaz stated.

Pakistan had a dismal performance in the T20 World Cup 2024 where they failed to qualify for the Super 8 stage. The Men in Green lost their first two matches to the USA and India. In both the games, Pakistan were in a good position to win but lost the games narrowly.

Pakistan went on to win the next two matches against Canada and Ireland but that was not enough to make it to the Super 8 stage. From Group A, India and USA qualified for the next stage. Pakistan's early exit did not go down well with the experts and former cricketers within the country, who severely criticized the team for their disappointing show.

Later, India went on to become the champions of the T20 World Cup 2024 as they beat South Africa by 7 runs in a thrilling final.