The outstanding Pakistani cricketer Wahab Riaz was appointed as Punjab’s interim sports minister on Thursday.
At the Governor’s House in Lahore, Governor Baligh Ur Rehman administered the oath to the newly selected cabinet members.
Of the 11 members of the cabinet, eight took the oath: Bilal Afzal, SM Tanveer, Dr. Javed Akram, Ibrahim Murad, Dr. Jamal Nasir, Mansoor Qadir, Syed Azfar Ali Nasir, and Amir Mir. Wahab Riaz, Tamkinat Karim, and Naseem Sadiq were unable to attend the ceremony.
In due course, Wahab Riaz, who is currently a member of the Khulna Tigers in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) 2023, would succeed as the minister of sports for the largest province.
For Pakistan, the left-arm bowler has 237 wickets in 156 matches in all types of international competition. It is important to note that the 37-year-old bowler competed for his country in the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy.
The renowned pacer retired from red-ball cricket in 2019.
Riaz considered his recent red-ball performances and his impending limited-overs matches. He then declared that he had chosen to take a break from first-class cricket.
“I’d like to concentrate on 50-over and 20-over cricket at this time while continuing to build up my stamina for the lengthier format of the game. I would make myself available when I feel I can perform with the red ball in addition to returning,” he had stated.