Pakistan’s premier fast bowler Wahab Riaz has been surprisingly named as the interim sports minister of Punjab under the caretaker government of the province.
Punjab’s Governor Baligh Ur Rehman administered the oath to the newly-appointed cabinet at the Governor House in Lahore with the left-arm pacer not at the ceremony due to his commitments at the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League.
8 of the 11 members including Bilal Afzal, SM Tanveer, Dr Javed Akram, Ibrahim Murad, Dr Jamal Nasir, Mansoor Qadir, Syed Azfar Ali Nasir and Amir Mir took the oath in person, while Wahab Riaz, Tamkinat Karim and Naseem Sadiq failed to attend the ceremony.
Punjab assembly was recently dissolved needing a caretaker setup on an interim basis.
Credentials-wise, Wahab Riaz is one of the premier fast bowlers produced by Pakistan.
The left-armer has taken 237 wickets for Pakistan in 156 international games across all formats and has not ruled out a return to the international setup.
He also continues to be one of the most sought-after talents in the shortest format of cricket.
“After reviewing my past couple of years’ performances in red-ball cricket and the upcoming limited-overs cricket, I have decided to take time off from first-class cricket,” Wahab said during an interview.
“During this period, I will like to focus on 50-over and 20-over cricket and continue to access my fitness for the longer version of the game. At a stage I feel I cannot only return but also perform with the red ball, I would make myself available,” he added.
Wahab Riaz will also take part in the upcoming PSL 8 with Peshawar Zalmi while serving as sports minister in a historic first.
