Rana made his debut in Sharjah immediately after the disastrous 2003 World Cup, at which time he was competing with Abdul Razzaq, Shoaib Malik and Azhar Mahmood for the allrounder’s spot.

Few backed him then despite some impressive early performances and he was dropped soon after, allegedly because of disciplinary problems. But now, with the continuing ambiguity over Shoaib Akhtar’s part in the Pakistan team and injuries to other bowlers, Rana has worked his way back as spearhead of the ODI team. As with most Pakistan bowlers of pace, he can bowl a reverse-swinging yorker almost at will. His change of pace, as Virender Sehwag will testify, is another useful weapon.

But his nous with the ball, his control over line and length and his absolute refusal to consider giving anything less than his all in the field has stood out. In 2005, he has been Pakistan’s leading ODI bowler, impressing first in the VB series in Australia and then on the flatter, less responsive wickets of India and the West Indies. His Test appearances remain limited and largely unsuccessful, though he bowled well when England visited in 2005-06. Further Tests may still depend on a permutation of injuries, suspensions for dodgy actions and attitude issues, but there is no doubting his place and value in the Pakistan set-up. He was missed on the England tour of 2006, sitting out the Tests with a groin injury, more so because of his success with Sussex for a season and a half.

He did return for the ODI series but struggled to recapture his old form and after a disappointing ODI series against India earlier in 2006, his place is under some pressure with the return of Umar Gul. As a lower-order, hard-hitting batsman, he has had little opportunity to impress at international level, despite his insistence that he is, in fact, a natural wicketkeeper batsman. And he gave up his first love, hockey, for cricket. .