What's the story?
Pakistani cricketer Wahab Riaz took to Twitter to reach out to his fans and apologise for the performance he delivered in his side’s opening game of Champions Trophy 2017 against India. He said that he gave his best, however, that was not enough and it broke his heart as well.
The Pakistani fast bowler was responsible for giving away a large number of runs without taking any wickets and this led to a heavy loss for Pakistan.
In case you didn't know...
Pakistan faced India for their first game in Champions Trophy 2017 in which they were defeated by their Asian rivals by a huge margin of 124 runs. Wahab proved to be very expensive for the Pakistan team as he conceded 87 runs in 8.4 overs. In the four ODIs he has played this year, Wahab has conceded 260 runs with only two wickets to his name.
He also injured his ankle in his followthrough in the 46th over of the innings while bowling and could not come out to bat later. The PCB immediately put in a request to replace the player.
The heart of the matter
Riaz was one of the prime reasons India gained momentum later in their innings. His spell turned out to be the most expensive in the history of the Champions Trophy.
To make matters worse he turned his ankle and could not finish his spell. The next day, scans confirmed that the deltoid ligament complex accounted for the serious injury to his ankle, ruling him out of the Champions Trophy.
What's next?
Rumman Raees, the Pakistani left-arm seamer, will replace Wahab in the Pakistani squad. He was the preferred replacement ahead of Mohammad Abbas because of his better strike rate in limited overs cricket and the ability to bowl well during the death overs.
Pakistan face South Africa at Edgbaston today and need to win the match by a big margin to move one position ahead in the points table.
Author's Take
After having delivered the most expensive spell in the history of the Champions Trophy, Wahab will require a lot of time to recover from the mental effects of the game. His replacement, Raees appears to be a good option as he was the third highest wicket-taker in the recently concluded Pakistan Premier League.
However, Wahab was not the only one responsible for Pakistan’s defeat against India. The entire team failed to perform up and must all take the blame.
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