On Tuesday morning, one of the selectors visited the Pakistan team dressing room and reportedly told a senior member of the side that he was playing his last Test innings irrespective of the score he gets.

Well-informed sources refused to disclose the name of the selector but in the afternoon, Shafiq Ahmad was seen sitting with PCB Secretary, Waqar Ahmad. Investigations later revealed that chairman of the selectors, Salim Altaf, was in Lahore and third member of the committee, Zaheer Abbas, was in Karachi.

Sources, however, refused to confirm or deny if Shafiq Ahmad had uttered those words before the start of the second day's play in the first Test. Nevertheless, what has been confirmed is the fact that the player was Ijaz Ahmad who resumed this morning at 0 and was out after scoring a superb 65. Ijaz Ahmad, it may be mentioned, is one of the four players who are on the hit-list of the Pakistan cricket authorities. Axe has already fallen on Salim Malik and Waqar Younis. Fourth on the list is skipper Wasim Akram.

Ijaz, it may not be out of context to mention here that, played against Sri Lanka in the quadrangular cup match on the personal decision of Wasim Akram after the team finalised by the selectors included Mohammad Wasim in place of Ijaz. Ijaz later scored 94. Then, when the team was being finalised for the first Test, the selectors tried to drop Ijaz again but surrendered against Wasim Akram's persistence. The chairman of selectors, Salim Altaf, later confirmed that Akram had asked for a final chance for Ijaz and the selectors obliged had him.