Pakistan snub frustrates Mahmood

All-rounder Azhar Mahmood has expressed frustration and confusion after being left out of Pakistan's World Cup plans.

Mahmood was listed in a provisional World Cup squad published in Pakistan newspapers but not in the offical list.

"I'm very frustrated. I've played county cricket and every first-class game [in Pakistan] and they're playing with my career," he told BBC Sport.

"They [the selectors] never give me a straight answer. I think someone really has a problem with me."

Mahmood, 31, played the last of his 139 one-day internationals in February 2005. In all, he has 122 ODI wickets at an average of 38.86.

Playing alongside Shoaib Akhtar he took six wickets for Islamabad in the first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy this week.

"Azhar Mahmood has not been a regular in domestic cricket; we want to move forward"

Wasim Bari
Chief of selectors

In one-day county matches for Surrey last year he claimed 12 wickets at an average of 25.25 and hit 227 runs at 37.83.

There were four differences between the squad named in newspapers and the official version but chief of selectors Wasim Bari dismissed the former as "pure speculation".

Speaking to BBC Sport he denied that late changes had been made to the squad, which must be trimmed to 15 by 13 February.

"Azhar Mahmood has not been a regular in domestic cricket," he said.

"He went to the last World Cup [in 2003] and did not play. We want to move forward."

Seam-bowling all-rounders Abdul Razzaq, who has missed the South Africa tour with a calf injury, and Yasir Arafat were named ahead of Mahmood.

Batsman Asim Kamal was also named by in the newspapers' squads but not in the final version from the Pakistan Cricket Board.

"Asim Kamal is a pure Test player - we never considered him for one-dayers," Bari explained.