Nottingham game was a nightmare: Wahab Riaz

Pakistan had a roller-coaster ride during their two-month long tour of England. The visitors drew the Test series 2-2, but slipped to an embarrassing 4-1 series loss in the 50-over format. However, they bounced back in style to win the one-off Twenty20 International at Old Trafford to end the tour on a bright note.

Wahab Riaz, the Pakistan pacer, also had a topsy-turvy campaign, as he had to wade through a tough 10-over spell in the record-shattering One-Day International played at Trent Bridge, where he conceded 110 runs. The 31-year-old, though, put up a gutsy performance in the T20I by picking up three wickets for 18 runs to pilot the tourists to a morale-boosting win. Riaz, on his part, said that he was pleased with his performance in the T20I, especially after his nightmarish spell.

"I am really happy that I roared back at Old Trafford. The Nottingham game was a nightmare for me and the entire team," Wahab said.

"I couldn't sleep for four to five days and kept reflecting on the reasons for my disastrous performance. I am never afraid of conceding runs, but that game was perhaps a turning point and made me reflect on things," he said.

Wahab credited Azhar Mahmood, Pakistan's bowling coach, in helping him to iron out issues in his bowling. "Mahmood worked tirelessly with me and gave me a plan to follow," he added. "Before the T20I, we devised a strategy and I am really happy that I succeeded in executing the plans."

The fast-bowler also made a vital contribution in Pakistan's victory at The Oval in the four-match Test series by snaring five wickets in the game.

"Other than that one game [at Trent Bridge], the tour was really good for me; we did very well in the Tests and although we couldn't win the ODIs, we learned some important lessons and will definitely improve our performance in the format soon. The T20I win is of course a cherished memory to end the tour with," he observed.

Sharjeel Khan, Pakistan's flamboyant opener, was also happy with his performances during the tour. The left-hander made his mark in the T20I game with a half-century and set the platform for the tourists to win the match comfortably by nine wickets.

Sharjeel reckoned that touring England with the Pakistan A setup earlier this year helped him acclimatise to the English conditions. "The A tour gave me my first experience of English conditions," he noted. "I developed confidence and started trusting my game after performing well in the A games, and carried that over to the internationals against England.

"I am really happy that I performed against a top-ranked team in their own backyard and that my performances have earned me a contract with a county team from a leading country," he summed up.