Wahab Riaz addresses accusations of ‘threatening’ Usama Mir

Former Pakistani cricketer and member of the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) selection committee Wahab Riaz has broken silence on accusations of threatening right-arm leg spinner Usama Mir after dropping him from the team for last year’s T20 World Cup.

“We used to call players directly for selection matters. There were no threats involved. I remember Usama Mir’s case quite well. He called me and asked why he had not been selected for the World Cup,” Riaz said during his appearance on a podcast hosted by 24 News.

Addressing accusations of threatening Mir upon his inquisition, the former cricketer said that he, along with other selection committee members, including Muhammad Yousuf and Azhar Mahmood, explained their reasons for 45 minutes.

“After the press conference, Muhammad Yousuf and I were in a room when Usama called. He asked why he wasn't selected. Azhar Mahmood and the rest of us spent around 45 minutes explaining that it was about team combination and not his performance,” he said.

“I told Usama that the conversation had gone on for too long. ‘We understand you might not like it, but it's a team decision by the selection committee.’ After 45 minutes, we decided to put an end to the discussion. Usama accepted it but later sent a long message to [PCB’s high performance and tournament director] Nadeem Khan, claiming he was mistreated.”

Riaz said Nadeem then shared Mir’s message in the selection committee group chat and asked for an explanation. “Each selector explained the rationale behind the decision. The chapter was closed for us,” he added.

Later, the former cricketer said, he received a call from former skipper Abdul Razzaq in Ireland, telling him to issue and NOC [no-objection certificate] for Mir.

“The controversy escalated when Usama shared his grievances publicly. He started it himself and later admitted it was a mistake on his part. We had clarified everything from our side and even approved the NOC,” Riaz said.

“Usama's media statements caused a stir. I asked the PCB to issue a clarification, but they decided against it. This led to misunderstandings and the matter continued. Despite everything, our process for NOCs is clear. The director of international cricket consults with us, and we provide our recommendations. It's up to them to issue the NOC.”

To a question, Riaz said the team management’s focus was on red-ball cricket. “We've been playing consistently and our future tour programmes are set till 2027. The upcoming series against South Africa, New Zealand and the West Indies will be crucial,” he said in the interview that was aired on Jan 3.

It merits a mention that the South African series mentioned by Riaz is already underway.

“Red-ball cricket has always been a priority. It’s something we've been committed to, as seen in our recent series against Australia,” he said.

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