Arthur blasts Wahab’s ‘work ethic in training’

Pakistan head coach says pacer needs to improve to bag a spot in national team

Pakistan head coach Mickey Arthur believes left-arm pacer Wahab Riaz isn’t setting the right standards and therefore is not eligible to be a part of the new “culture” that he has introduced in the national team.

Arthur, while talking to ESPNcricinfo, said Riaz hasn’t won them any matches in the last two years which puts him on the wrong side of selection for the upcoming Test tour to England.

"He has not won us a game in two years," said Arthur. "I expect players that have been around for a long time to be winning us games and setting standards.”

The South African continued by saying that the team’s think tank are ready to invest in youngsters if the veterans are not playing their part. “Otherwise we will invest in younger players who have long futures. We have good youngsters around.”

The 49-year-old however called the decision of dropping Riaz a big one and rang warning bells for every player who think they have an automatic spot in the team. “[Dropping] Wahab is a big decision but we have chosen a squad according to the time of year, country and conditions. The guys need to push themselves and get out of their comfort zones.”

‘This is a high-performance environment’

Arthur, who guided Pakistan to the Champions Trophy title last year, believes players have to fight for their positions in the national side by pushing to become the best version of themselves.

He also criticised Riaz for his work ethic during training by saying: “I cannot fault Wahab when he has a ball in his hand but his work ethic around training is something needs to be looked at," he said.

He continued by outlining his future plans with Pakistan. “I am changing the culture in this Pakistan environment and I am not interested in players doing just the bare minimum. I want players winning us games of cricket and pushing themselves to be the best they can be.

“This is a high-performance environment, not an environment where mediocrity is accepted. Unless you are winning games consistently, you are under pressure for your position,” he added.

Riaz wasn’t named in the 25 probables for the initial Test camp from which a squad will be chosen to be sent to play a Test in Ireland and then two in England.

He did appear in the fitness test, which he passed with a score of 17.4, but Arthur wanted him to score at least 19, since the newcomer Shaheen Shah Afridi scored better than the veteran — 18.

Riaz last appeared in a Pakistan jersey in a limited-overs match against India in the 50-over tournament Champions Trophy opener where he walked out with an injury before registering figures of 8.4-0-87.

His last T20I outing with Pakistan was against West Indies in April last year where he bagged one wickets for 44 runs in his four overs.