Pakistan pacer Wahab Riaz has expressed a bullish attitude about the prospect of Pakistan in the upcoming World T20 and also in the game against their arch-rivals India. Notably, Pakistan have not defeated India in a world cup game and Riaz said that the record can be broke in the next encounter between the sides provided the men in green play at their potential”.
He pointed out the fickle nature of T20 cricket where games can change in a matter of minutes and said that Pakistan can certainly beat India if they get their acts together.
“They definitely have the ability to achieve that result. If Pakistan plays to its potential, then they can beat any team in the world including India. Twenty20 cricket is such a format that the whole match can turn in the space of a few balls or even one incident and the Pakistan versus India match will be no different. If Pakistan play at their best, they can certainly beat India,” Wahab said to PakPasson.net.
About the prospect of his country winning the competition for the second time, Riaz said that the conditions in the UAE will favour Pakistan as they have played a lot of their cricket there. He rated Pakistan as “leading contenders” to lif the trophy later this year.
“Given the conditions and where it’s being held, I believe Pakistan has a very good chance of winning the tournament. Pakistan has played a lot of cricket in UAE, and this gives them a very good chance to win the competition. They’ll be familiar with the conditions, and they’ll know what the ball will do. If they can utilise the conditions and use them to their advantage, then there is no reason why they can’t be considered amongst the leading contenders for the title,” he added.
Riaz has had a brilliant performance against India in the ICC ODI World Cup 2011 semi-finals but has gone out of the selection radar owing to poor and inconsistent performances. However, he said that the call of selecting him lies in the hands of selectors and his job is limited to perform and prove what he is “capable of”. He refused to give in to his critics’ calls and said that his performance is as good as it has been and that the selection call is beyond his control.
“If it was up to me, then yes you will. But it’s up to the selectors who they want included in the side and who they think will provide the maximum utility. As a player, all you can do is to perform and that’s what my aim is and that’s what I am doing around the world. Lately I’ve played in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), and I have showed what I am capable of, and I don’t think I have to prove it again and again. Regardless of what they feel, I am performing well wherever I am getting a chance to play. So, let’s see what the selectors have in mind and whether they want me to be a part of future squads is totally up to them,” he concluded.
Riaz last played for Pakistan in December last year and his inconsistency with the ball led to the departure from the side.