Wahab Riaz labeled Muhammad Wasin as a “laptop chief selector”.© AFP
Eyeing a return to the national side, veteran fast bowler Wahab Riaz has shared his views on the issue of favoritism during Rameez Raja’s tenure as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman. Wahab, who was named as the sports minister of Pakistan’s Punjab province on Friday, slammed former chief selector Muhammad Wasim for his selection criteria and questioned the exclusion of senior players from the national side. Wahab, who last played for Pakistan in 2020, labeled Wasim as a “laptop chief selector”.
“Laptop main selector [Wasim] Badly selected. He had no justification for not selecting players like Imad Wasim, Shoaib Malik and Sarfaraz Ahmed. Shoaib and Imad did well in the T20 World Cup 2021. Why didn’t they display on his laptop? Why was he ignored for the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia? What was his fault?” Cricket Pakistan quoted Wahab as saying.
He also pointed out the issue of “favouritism” in the Pakistan team, suggesting that age should not be the sole criterion for selection.
“I know Rameez bhai was the last authority. The chief selector was bound to communicate with us, but in our culture, you communicate with people who always agree with you. You don’t communicate with people who Knows how to defend his stand. There should be a limit to favoritism. It is not right to sideline the players by calling them old. If age is important, then the rules should be the same for everyone.”
Wahab was dropped from the Pakistan team in 2020 but has not given up hope of a comeback.
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