"Shadab has been around for a while now" - Wahab Riaz worried about Shadab Khan's inconsistency during IND vs PAK in Asia Cup 2023

Former Pakistan speedster Wahab Riaz is a bit disappointed with the way Shadab Khan bowled in the Asia Cup Super Fours fixture against India on Sunday. The leg-spinner was smashed for boundaries and sixes almost at will by the Indian openers in his first two overs.

Indian captain Rohit Sharma particularly took a special liking to Shadab, depositing his full toss as well as a couple of long hops over the deep mid-wicket boundary. While Shadab had the last laugh by picking up Rohit's wicket, Riaz insisted that the vice-captain needed to be more consistent.

Speaking in a video on Zalmi TV, here's what Wahab Riaz had to say about Shadab Khan's spell against India:

"Shadab has been inconsistent. Yes, there are talks about giving confidence to the players but you give confidence to those who are new to the team. Shadab has been around for a while now and needs to understand what's expected from a player of his calibre."

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Wahab Riaz on Pakistan's decision to bowl first

Quite a few eyebrows were raised when Pakistan skipper Babar Azam won the toss and opted to bowl first. The questions became louder when the Indian openers got off to a rollicking start, with former cricketers Shoaib Akhtar and Wasim Akram deeming it to be a wrong decision.

However, Wahab Riaz explained why he felt that the decision to bowl first wasn't wrong from Babar. He stated:

"I feel this is India's strategy to bat their 50 overs and let rain come and wash out the game (laughs). Jokes apart, I think even if the game had got shortened, Pakistan would have had an advantage as it would have gone in T20 mode. So any captain who would have won the toss in these conditions, could have chosen to bowl first."

The start of play on the reserve day has been delayed due to a slight drizzle in Colombo at the time of writing.