May 08, 2007	Tuesday	Rabi-us-Sani 20, 1428

LAHORE, May 7: Chief selector Salahuddin Ahmed disclosed on Monday that a former Test cricketer has threatened him over leaving out opener Imran Farhat from the Pakistan team for the three-match series against Sri Lanka to be held in Abu Dhabi from May 18.

"Mr Mohammad Ilyas came to my room in the PCB offices soon after I returned from the team’s announcement. He was in an angry mood and said ‘the war is on because you did not select my son-in-law Imran Farhat’," Salahuddin said.

The chief selector further said Ilyas's attitude was much harsher with Shafqat Rana, a member of the selection committee, also sitting in the same room.

Salahuddin said that he had brought the incident to the notice of PCB chairman and lamented that it was an unfair manner to pressurise the selectors.

He said Ilyas was his old friend and he did not expect such rude remarks from him. "We tried our best to finalise the team on merit, but ironically, Imran was not completing the criteria set by the selectors," he clarified.

When contacted, Ilyas admitted he had told the chief selector that "war is on now". "It is not a threat but a fact that the selectors did not make the selection fairly and it will ruin the career of many youngsters," said Ilyas. "If they consider it a threat, let them," he said.