The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has appointed Wahab Riaz as the director of high-profile domestic tournaments, which hints at his return to an influential role in Pakistan’s cricket administration.
Wahab will be overseeing the champions tournaments including the Champions One-Day Cup, Champions T20 Cup and Champions First-Class Cup. The tournaments were introduced by the PCB earlier this year as part of its domestic cricket to improve and identify emerging talent across the country.
The 39 year old has played 27 Tests, 91 ODIs and 36 T20Is during his career before making his international retirement on August 16, 2023.
The development comes after Wahab departs from two critical roles within the PCB. Previously he was part of the national men’s team selection panel and also the team manager during Pakistan’s campaign in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.
However, the horrible defeat in the World Cup campaign has made the board to sack Wahab Riaz along with Mansoor from their respective positions.
At the time, reports cited that it was due to disciplinary action, but Wahab addressed the situations defending his tenure and refused to engage in a blame game.
“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.
He also spoke about the collaborative nature of the selection process during his tenure.
“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.”
Wahab’s new role as the director presents him an opportunity to serve the board that focuses on domestic development and nurturing talents across the country.
