By RICHARD BOOCK in Johannesburg
A month can be a long time in international cricket - just ask Daryl Tuffey.
It wasn't so long ago that the big New Zealand paceman was demolishing the world's best batting line-up at home, to the extent that players such as Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar
were made to look clueless.
These days, it seems, he has about as much chance of making the playing XI as Percy Sonn has of walking in a straight line.
Once again omitted from the side, this time for the group B game against Canada this morning, Tuffey could be forgiven for feeling a touch miffed over his treatment, particularly after Kyle Mills - who played against Bangladesh - was sidelined with a hamstring strain.
The decision to leave Tuffey out was especially hard to fathom in light of New Zealand's situation before the Canada showdown, which demanded that Stephen Fleming's side use everything in their power to dispatch their opposition as emphatically as possible.
Sir Richard Hadlee's selection panel instead opted to draft in Chris Harris, the master of dry bowling and the perfect batsman to have during a crisis or a large chase - neither of which seemed likely against Canada.
It was the second time Hadlee's panel had raised eyebrows over the composition of their team selection, following the decision to omit Daniel Vettori on a slow turner at Bloemfontein against Sri Lanka.
Tuffey, named the International Player of the Summer after his heroics against India, was included in the side against Sri Lanka but conceded 36 runs off five overs and was immediately discarded.
Adding insult to injury was the fact that he had Sri Lanka's skipper and match-winner Sanath Jayasuriya caught behind early in the piece, only to be denied by an incorrect decision from umpire Neil Mallender.
If the decision had been upheld against the batsman, Sri Lanka would have struggled to set a reasonable target, New Zealand might have won and Tuffey would have been retained, but on that particular day it wasn't to be.
Now, it seems, even with Lou Vincent (dislocated thumb) and Mills unavailable, and only 13 fit players in the squad, the tall 24-year-old right-armer is regarded as surplus to requirements.
Meanwhile, Kenya's call for New Zealand to be further penalised for their decision not to play in Nairobi has bemused Fleming.
It seemed based on the grounds that the forfeited match denied Steve Tikolo's side an opportunity to improve their run-rate.
Fleming said he was unsure of the Kenyans' motive for the application, given the run-rate could not improve their second-round prospects, nor affect the number of points they carried through.
"My first feeling is that they should just take the four points and move on," Fleming said yesterday.
"I can't see the logic behind it, to be honest. The run-rate will have no bearing on whether they qualify, or the number of points they take into the Super Six - it's hard to figure out.
"We had the criteria for Super Six qualification clarified by the ICC about 10 days ago and have been working on that basis since. I'm not sure where they [Kenya] are coming from, but good luck to them."
The ICC rejected Kenya's bid, along with one from Sri Lanka seeking the same redress.
World Cup schedule
Points table
By RICHARD BOOCK in Johannesburg
A month can be a long time in international cricket - just ask Daryl Tuffey.
It wasn't so long ago that the big New Zealand paceman was demolishing the world's best batting line-up at home, to the extent that players such as Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar
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