"There's a lot I can say but..." - Wahab Riaz issues long statement after threatening to expose PCB post-sacking

Wahab Riaz, on Wednesday (July 10), issued a statement, confirming his exit as a member of Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) selection committee.

The PCB sacked the former pacer as well as former allrounder Abdul Razzaq from the selection panel earlier in the day. Wahab Riaz was initially appointed as the chairman of the selection committee when Zaka Ashraf was the PCB chief.

However, the new PCB administration removed the post of the chairman although Wahab Riaz managed to retain his place in the 7-member selection committee. The demotion meant each of the seven members carried an equal vote. However, the former fast bowler was widely viewed as the de facto chief of the selection committee.

As a result, he faced severe criticism for Pakistan's poor performance in recent times, especially in the T20 World Cup last month. The Men in Green bowed out of the tournament at the group stage after suffering losses against the USA and India. Wahab Riaz had accompanied the team to the USA as a senior team manager and has been removed from that post as well, according to reports.

My time as a selector comes to an end, says Wahab Riaz

There were allegations of Wahab putting pressure on the other members of the selection panel. However, he refuted the claims after being sacked by the PCB and stated that he would be issuing his statement later.

Later in the evening, Wahab did issue a statement but decided against blaming anyone. He shared his statement with the caption: "There is a lot I can say but I don’t want to be part of the blame games."

In his statement, Wahab wrote: "My time serving as a member of selection committee for PCB comes to an end, I just want my people to know that I have served the game I love with faith and sincerity and have given 100 percent for the betterment of Pakistan cricket.

"It has been an honour to serve as part of the selection panel. To make collaborative decisions as part of the seven man panel to select the national team was a privilege - everyone's vote carried equal weight, we made selection decisions as a team & shared the responsibility of that process equally. It was an honour to contribute my part to that.

"Moreover, it was an honour to support Gary Kirsten & the coaching group as they set their vision for this team. I am confident that the team plans the coaches have put together will ensure this team continues to grow into a dominant force as we move forward and I wish them the best of luck on that journey.

"I am thankful to the people who have prayed for me. I wish nothing but success for the future of the Pakistan cricket team," he added.

There is alot I can say but I don’t want to be part of the blame games . pic.twitter.com/mtp3h9KwtG

— Wahab Riaz (@WahabViki) July 10, 2024

Meanwhile, recent reports from Pakistani media news outlets state that PCB sacked Wahab as the team-manager for failing to act against Shaheen Afridi who misbehaved with the coaches. The reports stated that the pacer's conduct was not up to the mark during the tours of Ireland and England before the T20 World Cup.