LEEDS: Cricket’s history is replete with players overcoming injuries to produce their best for the country. West Indies fast bowling great Malcolm Marshall once bowled and batted with a fractured hand for the sake of his team, while Indian leg spin legend Anil Kumble bowled with a broken jaw.
WORLD CUP SCHEDULE | POINTS TABLEOn Saturday,
Pakistan paceman
Wahab Riaz added his name to that elite list of bravehearts. During a fielding session on the eve of the team’s crucial game against Afghanistan, the 34-year-old hurt his finger so badly that he woke up with a swelling on it on the match day. It was eventually discovered that Wahab had sustained a fracture.
However, forgetting about his injured finger, Wahab kept his promise to his captain, delivering eight overs in which he gave away just 29 runs and took two wickets. Even more crucially, he chipped in with an unbeaten nine-ball 15, striking a six and a boundary in the dying moments of the game to help Imad Wasim (49*) finish off the chase.
“I shouldn’t be saying this, but there was a lot of debate on this issue. Wahab bhai played with a broken finger today. With that broken finger, he bowled today. He hit a six and a four, which was crucial for us. I salute him for doing this for Pakistan,” praised Wasim.
On the morning of the match against Afghanistan at Headingley, Wahab convinced Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed that he was willing to play despite a fractured finger. “See, I already knew that I had a fractured finger. It’s my willpower. I am here to do whatever my team needs me to do. I knew that my country needs me, more than I need to attend to the pain,” he said.