Pakistan men’s cricket team fast bowler Wahab Riaz is navigating a life involving three distinct roles. Firstly, he entered professional cricket in 2001, representing Lahore in domestic tournaments.
Fast forward 22 years, he continues his professional cricket career and holds a place in the ‘Diamond’ category of Pakistan Super League (PSL) players. Playing for Peshawar Zalmi since 2016, he is expected to continue representing the team in the upcoming tournament.
His second role began earlier this year when he assumed the position of ‘Caretaker Minister for Sports’ in the Punjab province. Operating under the leadership of Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Wahab gained attention when a video of him driving in the rain and splashing water on locals circulated on various social media platforms.
وزیر کھیل وہاب ریاض اپنی گاڑی سے لوگوں پر پانی پھینک کر لاہور میں عوامی خدمت کر رہے ہیں۔ pic.twitter.com/ejAeMzWKNe
— Fayyaz Shah (@RebelByThought) July 5, 2023
Just a few hours ago, Wahab Riaz assumed a third role in his professional career by being appointed as the Chief Selector of the Pakistan men’s cricket team. In this new capacity, Riaz will be responsible for determining the squad for the upcoming 3-match test series against Australia and the 5-match T20I series in New Zealand.
The significant concern in this scenario is whether there is a ‘conflict of interest’ since Wahab Riaz is now responsible for selecting the players he still actively plays with, all while holding a prominent position in the current caretaker Government setup.
During the previous PSL season, Riaz carried out his duties under the captaincy of Babar Azam, who has recently stepped down from the national side captaincy. It is crucial for Wahab Riaz to resign from his other two positions while serving as the Chief Selector, as this situation raises concerns about potential conflicts of interest. If this is not considered a conflict of interest, it is unclear what would be.
