Wahab Riaz criticises Pakistan's selection policies, says 'everyone has good and bad days'

Veteran Pakistan pacer Wahab Riaz has openly expressed his disappointment with his national team's selection policy by saying that a player should not be judged based on just one or two matches and that the players can give better performances if they are supported in both good and bad times.

'A player should not be judged based on just one or two matches': Wahab Riaz

“You cannot completely blame the management. There are some mistakes that we as players have made as far as performances are concerned. But I think something that should be changed is that a player should not be judged based on just one or two matches. Not only with us but with anyone. It has been the norm in Pakistan that any player selected is judged based on one or two performances. I think the previous performances and hard work of the player should be kept in mind. Everyone has good and bad days. A player can give better performances if they are supported in both good and bad times. I think this is something that definitely needs to improve. Hopefully, it will be better with time,” said Riaz while speaking to Cricket Pakistan.

“Communication is very important. Players always have this question of why they were excluded. If an explanation is given and is based on reality then a player has to take them and work harder. It shouldn’t just be because of some excuses. It makes a lot of difference. I even think if a player is not part of the team's plan for a longer period then he should be told. The player can then work hard on improving his game without any diversions. I think a clear message and picture should be sent to players which can result in better performances,” the left-arm speedster added.

“I have not been talking to anyone. When I was not selected recently, I had a chat with the chief selector who gave me some reasons for the decision. That was a personal conversation of how much I agreed with him or not. I was told that I was not written off and was part of the system. We will find out what was the truth or not as time goes on,” he further added.

Wahab Riaz has not been in the Pak national team's scheme of things since December 2020 and had last donned the Green jersey on December 20, 2020, during an away T20I match against New Zealand.

The Lahore cricketer will now be hoping to cement his place in the Pak squad for the upcoming away limited-overs series against England starting July 8 (3 ODIs & 3 T20Is) and then in the five-match away T20I series against the reigning T20 world champions West Indies that gets underway on July 27 as he looks forward to being in contention for Pakistan's ICC T20 World Cup spot. The seventh edition of the tournament will be played in October-November this year and as of now, it will be contested in India.