Heading into the final over of the morning game of Sunday, things were looking a little grim for Saint Lucia Kings against the Trinbago Knight Riders. The reigning champions needed 14 runs off the final over with seven wickets in the bank, with New Zealand’s Tim Seifert striking the ball with ease.
However, up stepped Wahab Riaz for the Kings, and the Pakistani seamer delivered an exceptional final over under pressure, conceding just eight runs to ensure his team got the first points of the 2021 HERO Caribbean Premier League.
“I love to take responsibility in games, it gives you the motivation that you have to lead from the front and you have to perform every game,” said Wahab Riaz in an exclusive interview with the Saint Lucia Kings.
“Whenever I have been given the responsibility as the senior pro in the team, I have always tried my level best,” he added. Riaz’s performance was all the more sweet for him and his franchise given how it perfectly completed a redemption arc for him early on in the competition.
The 36-year-old was the most expensive bowler for the team in their opening game against the Jamaica Tallawahs, conceding 61 runs in his three overs. Many would have anticipated that Riaz would be given some time off for the second game, but the team management persisted with him and the seasoned seamer delivered with a match winning performance against the champs.
“The CPL has some really hard hitting batsmen who can cross the line any time. The batsmen here are very attacking, so as a bowler I think you have to be very skillful to get away,” added Riaz.
“As a bowler you have to be at your best, you need to trust your skills and your execution needs to be very good to succeed. I think the yorker is still the best ball to bowl, because a batsman has to get underneath that well to hit it for a boundary.
“I also think the length ball, which hits the top of off-stump is a very effective weapon. Any batsman struggles with that, it's not easy to hit those,” he explained, giving all an insight into his thought process while bowling that final over against TKR on Sunday.
“Wickets are very important in a T20 match, but there should be a plan for how to bowl against each player. Obviously you can also put pressure on the batsman with dot balls, and that works for the team as well, and in the first six overs, I definitely feel everyone should go for wickets,” concluded Riaz.
