January 30, 2008	Wednesday	Muharram 20, 1429

LAHORE, Jan 29: Prominent first class medium-pacer Abdul Rauf on Tuesday faced a setback when he was omitted from the Faisalabad match squad against Zimbabwe at the last minute after being asked to join the team on Monday.

Rauf, who hails from Okara, has been faring extremely well at the domestic level for the last five years or so but has somehow failed to catch the selectors’ eye for reasons best known to them.

This week, he finally got an opportunity to prove his mettle when he received a telephone call from the PCB offices on Monday, asking him to join the national team in Faisalabad for the fourth ODI against Zimbabwe, scheduled to be played on Wednesday.

Rauf, following the directive, left for Faisalabad immediately. However, while he was still on his way, the paceman was shocked to learn that he didn’t feature in the squad named for the fourth ODI. Later, he was informed by the PCB that he will be included for the fifth and final game in Sheikhupura, set to be played on Friday.

Incidentally, Rauf has faced similar situations many a time before as well. Only last December, he was recommended by the selection committee to join the Pakistan squad in India after injuries to leading fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Umar Gul.

However, the team management, ignoring the selectors’ advice, sent Rao Iftikhar instead to the neighbouring country as a Test replacement. PCB, in an attempt to save face, later clarified by saying that a miscommunication had resulted in the Rauf-Rao mix-up.

It is amazing then that a similar ‘miscommunication’ occurred again on Tuesday in Rauf’s case.

Furthermore, Rauf was initially included in the 31-player list for the central contract by the selectors but while almost all the players were awarded the contracts, Rauf was strangely omitted from the list which is highly unfair to a player who has claimed more than 400 wickets in domestic cricket.

On Tuesday, a further probe into the matter revealed that the selection committee had originally handed over a 15-member team to the PCB for the Faisalabad tie which included Rauf’s name. But a certain high official of the cricket board then decided to reduce it to 14, axing Rauf from the squad.