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Karachi: When Abdul Razzaq broke his ties with the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL) and was recalled to the Pakistan national team this summer, the seasoned all-rounder thought he was back in the fold.
And it seemed that Razzaq had cemented his place in the squad after his significant contribution in Pakistan's World Twenty20 championship win in England in June.
The 29-year-old player is now left in the cold after a spate of unimpressive outings during the disastrous tour of Sri Lanka.
Razzaq was ignored for the Champions Trophy with the national selectors voting in favour of Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, another former ICL player, for a place in the 15-man touring party for South Africa.
"I'm obviously disappointed at being dropped for the Champions Trophy," said Razzaq. "I had regained my fitness and was looking forward to play in the tournament. But I'm hopeful of making a comeback soon."
Razzaq, who has an impressive One-day record with 4,529 runs and 250 wickets from 234 outings, will find it really tough to regain a place in the national team.
His batting has been not been impressive since his return to international cricket and in the presence of pacers like Mohammad Asif and Rana Naved, it would be difficult for Razzaq to get the selectors' nod only on the basis of his medium-pace bowling.
However, the Lahore-based player is not intimidated.
"I've never avoided hard work and am willing to put in the hours in order to get back my place in the Pakistan team," said Razzaq, who has played 46 Tests for 100 wickets and 1,946 runs.
Razzaq said he has no regrets on quitting the cash-rich ICL, in which he was among the star cricketers.
"It (ICL) is a thing of past. All I'm interested now is to focus on my career with the Pakistan team," he said.
Razzaq was banned by the Pakistan Cricket Board along with several other compatriots after they switched allegiance to the ICL - an unofficial Twenty20 league run by one of the biggest media groups in India.
Earlier this year, he severed ties with the ICL after which the PCB pardoned and recalled him in the Pakistan team during the World Twenty20 as a replacement for injured all-rounder Yasir Arafat.
