In his latest tweet on Twitter, Pakistan fast bowler Wahab Riaz on Wednesday, has apologized his nation for his poor show with the white-ball against arch-rivals India, in the marquee clash of the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy Group B fixture at Edgbaston while stating he hasn’t delivered as expected by die-hard fans back home in Pakistan.
“My performance has let down my nation and team. I tried my best but it was not good enough. I’m heart-broken as well,” Wahab wrote on his official Twitter account.
Following the dismal show, the crestfallen Riaz had expensive figures to his name, as he conceded 87 runs his 8.4 overs in Birmingham on June 4 which further drew heavy criticism of the Pacer over social media platforms.
The 31-year-old bowler Riaz while taking to micro-blogging site Twitter further revealed he has given his best to yield the desired results, but it was not enough on the day.
“Appreciate you having the courtesy to apologise to the fans, take time out and come back stronger,” replied a Twitter user Zulfiqar_78 to Riaz for what the former responded ‘deal’.
The left-arm fast bowler Riaz, went wicket-less before twisting his ankle on his follow-through which further saw him being ruled out of the remainder of the ICC Champions Trophy matches.
It’s pertinent to note, he was recommended a ten-day rest by the doctors after he visited the hospital with the help of crutches to underwent X-ray tests during the match day.
As the monotonous spell from Wahab has allowed Indian batsmen to score at their will, the latter further put pressure on his teammates – to concede runs while struggling to maintain their line and length at the fag end of the first innings that saw Virat Kohli-led Men in Blue collected 72 runs in four overs.
The defending champions India eventually won the highly-anticipated clash in the one-sided affair by 124 runs which also saw opening stand of 136 set by Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan.
Going with the short ball ploy and wayward bowling before faltering with the bat, Pakistan’s dismal performance was widely criticised by its fans which further saw former cricketers taking a dig at the team which is concurrently participating in the eighth edition of ICC Champions Trophy of the eight-team tournament.
On the other side, former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi in his exclusive column for the ICC digital revealed Riaz has failed to deliver up to the expectations.
“Wahab Riaz was once the spearhead of this bowling attack but his performance was a major let down on such an important occasion,” Afridi stated.
Lahore-born bowler Riaz was replaced by youngster Ruman Raees on Tuesday, who has played two Twenty20 Internationals and has been the part of Pakistan Super League (PSL), franchise Islamabad United-led by Misbah-Ul-Haq.
Riaz has played 79 One-day Internationals in which he has claimed 102 wickets at an average of 34.34.
My performance has let down my nation n team, Im sorry sp to PCT fans. I tried my best but it was not good enough n I'm heart broken as well
— Wahab Riaz (@WahabViki) June 7, 2017
A team that is backed by its nation can be magical on the field, cause our efforts r 4 our country.
Wishing the boyz best of luck #PakvsSA https://t.co/ivEfSHFmbd
— Wahab Riaz (@WahabViki) June 7, 2017