May 29, 2008	Thursday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 23, 1429

LAHORE, May 28: It appears as if the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) “bureaucracy” is all set to end the career of talented fast bowler Abdul Rauf and has been using almost all tactics to keep him away from the Pakistan team.

Rauf, 30, played his first and lone ODI against Zimbabwe at Sheikhupura. Rauf finished as the top wicket-taker by claiming three wickets for 45.

Earlier, he had been dramatically dropped from the fourth ODI at Faisalabad against the Zimbabweans after being included by the selectors in the 15-member squad. He was well on his way to Faisalabad when he was informed by the PCB through a phone call that his name was no longer there in the squad as only 14 probables were named or Faisalabad tie.

In the next home series against Bangladesh, however, Rauf was not given any chance and he remained in the reserve list. He also received step-motherly treatment from the PCB when the board finalised a list of central contract players for 2008.

The selection committee had recommended 30 names for the central contract, which also included the names of Rauf and another pacer Junaid Zia. As per the procedure, the selectors’ list was supposed to go to the Governing Board’s cricket committee first to divide the players into different categories and retainerships.

In a surprise move which was in direct violation of the procedures, the “bureaucracy” scratched out the names of Rauf and Junaid before sending the list to the cricket committee. So when the committee issued the categories, names of both Rauf and Junaid were not there despite the fact that the former had just made his international debut. While expressing his surprise on this, chief selector Salahuddin Ahmed informed the PCB chairman that his list carried Junaid and Rauf’s names and they might have been dropped by the cricket committee.

It was disclosed upon inquiry that the selectors’ list had been tampered with by the so-called “corporate sector bureaucracy” for reasons best known to it.

Both Rauf and Junaid have also not been selected for the ongoing camp for fast bowlers in Lahore where some 16 cricketers are receiving coaching by the great left-arm fast bowler Wasim Akram.