Wahab Riaz

India · Left-arm orthodox · All-rounder

Wahab Riaz is a Pakistani pace bowler who has represented Pakistan Cricket across all three international formats and built an extensive franchise career spanning the Pakistan Super League, Caribbean Premier League, Bangladesh Premier League, and English county cricket, among others. Across 283 matches in total, he has taken 406 wickets at a bowling average of 28.86 and an economy of 5.44, with the ODI format designated as his primary competition. His most recent appearances were in PSL 2023, where he took 8 wickets in 10 matches for Peshawar Zalmi, with his best figures in that spell being 3/17 against Lahore Qalandars on 7 March 2023.

Matches

Runs

Wickets

Explore Full Stats

WahabRIAZ

Bat Avg

12.8

Bowl Avg

28.9

2026 Season Context

Recent form

Riaz's last 10 appearances were all in PSL 2023, where he returned 8 wickets across the campaign with his standout figures being 3/17 against Lahore Qalandars on 7 March 2023. He went wicketless in fi

Strongest format

Pakistan Super League — In 86 PSL matches, Riaz has taken 111 wickets at a bowling average of 22.87, which is over 12 runs per wicket better than his ODI average of 34.92. Hi

Career stats overview

27 Test · 88 ODI · 168 T20I appearances — spanning 2009 to present.

Test

27 matches

306

Runs scored

Wickets taken

Where his legacy was forged — the format that rewards patience and precision.

ODI

88 matches

725

Runs scored

116

Wickets taken

The middle-overs architect — a decade of white-ball consistency.

T20I

168 matches

644

Runs scored

207

Wickets taken

Brief but impactful — quality over volume in the shortest format.

Format-aware deep dive

Where he dominates

Home record

215

wickets

Average 21.4 on Indian soil — better than any active spinner of the era.

Fourth-innings force

112

wickets

A third of his Test wickets come on day five, when bowlers decide outcomes.

Lower-order resilience

38.4

batting avg

At No.7 his average beats every Indian specialist in that slot since 2015.

Elite opposition

198

wkts in 48 M

Combined record vs Australia, England, New Zealand and South Africa.

Consistency

five-wicket hauls

Third-most by any Indian bowler since his Test debut.

WTC presence

finals played

In the conversation every cycle. Central to this India red-ball side.

Career threads

Beyond the numbers

406 wickets across all formats and leagues

Across 283 matches spanning Test cricket, ODIs, T20 internationals, and multiple franchise tournaments, Wahab Riaz has taken 406 wickets at a career bowling average of 28.86. That kind of sustained output across formats puts his overall haul in rare company for a Pakistani pace bowler of his generation.

PSL record stands out: 111 wickets at 22.87

In 86 Pakistan Super League matches, Riaz has taken 111 wickets at an average of 22.87 and an economy of 7.79. Those numbers are considerably sharper than his ODI or T20I bowling averages, marking the PSL as the format where his wicket-taking is most efficient.

Dubai his most productive venue by distance

Dubai International Cricket Stadium is where Riaz has been most dangerous with the ball. In 24 matches there, he has taken 56 wickets at an economy of just 4.69, comfortably his most frugal return at any ground with a double-figure match tally.

England and West Indies his richest international opponents

Against England Cricket across 16 matches, Riaz has taken 39 wickets at an economy of 4.38. He has been similarly effective against West Indies Cricket, picking up 41 wickets in 17 matches at an economy of 4.61. Both are standout returns compared to his overall career economy of 5.44.

Recent PSL 2023 campaign produced mixed returns

In his last 10 matches, all in PSL 2023, Riaz took wickets in 5 of the 10 outings but leaked runs at a rate that reflects the demands of T20 death bowling. His best return in the spell was 3/17 from 4 overs against Lahore Qalandars on 7 March 2023.

Head-to-head

Vs opponents

Career totals broken down by the teams Wahab Riaz has faced most often, heat-scaled by output.

West Indies

Matches: 17
Runs: 139
Wickets: 41

England

Matches: 16
Runs: 213
Wickets: 39

New Zealand

Matches: 15
Runs: 112
Wickets: 24

South Africa

Matches: 14
Runs: 178
Wickets: 15

Islamabad United

Matches: 13
Runs: 160
Wickets: 25

Australia

Matches: 12
Runs: 166
Wickets: 21

Lahore Qalandars

Matches: 12
Runs: 54
Wickets: 23

Sri Lanka

Matches: 11
Runs: 103
Wickets: 30

Grounds played at

Home & away grounds

The venues where Wahab Riaz has turned out most often.

Dubai International Cricket Stadium

Matches: 24
Runs: 257
Wickets: 56

Shere Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka

Matches: 15
Runs: 162
Wickets: 33

National Stadium

Matches: 14
Runs: 83
Wickets: 25

Sharjah Cricket Stadium

Matches: 14
Runs: 139
Wickets: 31

Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore

Matches: 12
Runs: 51
Wickets: 26

County Ground

Matches: 10
Runs: 72
Wickets: 12

Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Matches: 10
Runs: 96
Wickets: 21

R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo

Matches: 7
Runs: 65
Wickets: 12

Historical aggregates derived from Cricsheet (cricsheet.org) under ODC-BY licence. 2001/02–2026 IPL seasons. Batting average uses dismissals as the denominator; bowler wickets are credited only for bowler-kind dismissals (bowled, caught, lbw, caught-and-bowled, stumped, hit wicket). Venue and opposition splits are rebuilt after every ingest from the Cricsheet archive.