Faiz Fazal returns to VCA fold

NAGPUR: Vidarbha Cricket Association has suffered a lot of brain drain over the years to Railways and very few have made the return. In fact, only Baburao Yadav was back in VCA fold in 2004-05 only to rejoin next year due to family reasons.
Now, Faiz Fazal has returned back to his roots. The southpaw has quit his job and is available to play for Vidarbha, provided he performs well."He has quit his job this week citing personal reasons," a well-placed source in Railways Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) told TOI on Saturday.
"It would have been nice had Faiz stayed with Railways as he was integral part of the Railways squad. He is a talented player. However, it was his decision and we have to respect that. I wish him good luck for the future," ex-Railways skipper Prahlad Rawat said.
Faiz had captained Vidarbha in Vijay Hazare one-day tournament in Indore before joining Railways in 2009. Same year he signed with Team Rajasthan and made an impressive debut in the charity match against 2008 English Twenty20 champions Middlesex at the Lord's.
The left-hander has played 26 Ranji Trophy matches for Vidarbha and has scored 1862 runs at a decent average of 42.32 hitting three hundreds and nine fifties. The opener has averaged more than 50 in his last two seasons with Vidarbha. He is one of four Vidarbha cricketers to score century on debut and has also represented Central Zone team in Deodhar and Duleep Trophy five times in his brief career so far. Besides, he is the first Vidarbha cricketer to play the prestigious NKP Salve Challenger's Trophy.
Faiz was impressive in his debut season for Railways in 2009-10. He also scored a fighting hundred against domestic powerhouse Tamil Nadu.
"I informed about my decision to VCA officials and told them about my availability. I am happy to be back in Vidarbha fold. It was great learning curve with Railways but now I want to play for Vidarbha. Whatever I am today is just because of VCA," Faiz said.
With three professionals in the side, it won't be a cakewalk for this 26-year-old. "It's simple; I have to score and perform up to the expectations. Vidarbha have done well last year and there's competition for the places. However, I am not thinking too far ahead. I am looking forward to play whatever local matches I get to play and do well there," the former India Under-19 cricketer said.
VCA officials are also happy with his return but they want Faiz to prove his worth again. "He has to perform. The competition is immense and Faiz will have to earn his place. Everyone knows how talented he is but now he has to transform all that into performance," a senior VCA official said.