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Pakistan pacer Wahab Riaz announced his retirement from international cricket on August 16, 2023, after a relatively prolific career. The left-arm seam bowler was a menace for the batters at the peak of his prowess.
Riaz continues to feature in franchise cricket on a sporadic basis, with the 2023 Pakistan Super League (PSL) being his most recent endeavor on the field. His last international appearance came in 2020 during Pakistan's tour of New Zealand. He wraps up his career for the Pakistan national team with 27 Tests, 91 ODIs, and 36 T20Is, where he took 83, 120, and 34 wickets, respectively.
He burst into the scene as a youngster in 2008 in white-ball cricket and made his Test debut in 2010. The left-arm pacer had a solid 2011 ODI World Cup campaign and was poised for great things in Pakistan cricket. However, injuries and poor form meant that he could not maintain his consistency and he eventually lost his place to emerging pacers from the domestic circuit.
While Riaz arguably could not showcase his true and full potential, he definitely departs the international circuit with plenty of memories for the fans to cherish. On that note, here are three of his best deliveries in international cricket.
#1 India vs Pakistan (Yuvraj Singh, 2011 ODI World Cup semi-final; Mohali)
Wahab Riaz tore through the Indian batting unit in the high-pressure 2011 ODI World Cup semi-final in Mohali. However, the best of his five wickets was arguably the prized scalp of the in-form Yuvraj Singh.
The game was evenly poised at 141-2 at the halfway mark of the first innings. However, Riaz struck twice off successive deliveries to dismiss Virat Kohli and Yuvraj, with the latter falling for a golden duck.
Watch the incredible bowling display from 0.37.
Riaz dished out a 146kmph delivery first up to the local player, but despite it being a full-toss, the reverse swing made it impossible for it to be judged. Yuvraj was caught all ends up and turned back to watch his stumps shattered.
Riaz ended with figures of 5-46, but it ended up being in a losing cause.
#2 Australia vs Pakistan (Shane Watson, 2015 ODI World Cup semi-final; Adelaide Oval)
Wahab Riaz bowled one of the most ferocious and searing spells in white-ball cricket during the 2015 ODI World Cup quarter-final match against Australia. Following a little clash during the first innings, the bowler was up for a scrap against Shane Watson during the run chase.
Watson came into bat at 59-3 and was met with a barrage of fast-paced bouncers by the left-arm seamer. While there are several stunning deliveries in the spell, the one that makes the cut is the final delivery of the 13th over.
Watch the incredible bowling display from 1.19.
Watson barely got out of the way of a ripping bouncer that was aimed at the head. Another delivery that Watson just about managed to evade was also memorable.
However, Riaz's efforts went in vain as Pakistan's fielding let them down yet again. Watson weathered the storm to remain unbeaten in the run chase as Australia qualified for the semi-finals of the tournament, which they eventually went on to win.
#3 Pakistan vs South Africa (Kagiso Rabada, 2019 World Cup; Lord's)
The 2019 ODI World Cup will always be a bitter-sweet campaign to remember for Pakistan. They narrowly missed out on the semi-finals and lost to rivals India, but put in dominant displays to defeat heavyweights like England and South Africa.
Wahab Riaz wrapped up the Men in Green's significant win over the Proteas at Lord's with a probing spell with the old ball against the lower-order batters. While all of his three wickets in the match were quite memorable, the delivery to castle Kagiso Rabada stands out.
The left-handed batter tried to play a straight shot, but much like Riaz's famous delivery to dismiss Yuvraj Singh, it swung back a long way, breached the gap between bat and pad, and rattled the stumps.
Watch the dismissal right here. (0.30)
What are some of the other memorable deliveries bowled by the pacer in international cricket? Let us know what you think.
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