For Faiz Fazal, the wait to play in top-flight domestic cricket was a stumbling block in his quest to be recognised among the top cricketers in the country. So when the big opportunity came with Railways, he had no hesitation in accepting it. The former Vidarbha skipper has signed up with the Railways team starting this season. The paperwork is almost complete — he has already got his letter of appointment as a Class III employee and has applied for a No Objection Certificate from the Vidarbha Cricket Association.

Railways Sport Promotion Board (RSPB) sports officer Ashok Diwan confirmed the development. “We have forwarded all his joining papers to the Mumbai office. He’ll join as a Class III employee and will be based in Nagpur,” Diwan told Sportline on Wednesday.

Fazal, a left-handed opener, was the highest run-getter for Vidarbha in the last season with 484 runs, including an unbeaten 200 against the Services team. Having been extremely consistent through the last two seasons, Fazal also played a crucial innings of 58 against South Zone as Central Zone were crowned Deodhar Trophy champions. Performances in the Plate Division, though, in his own words, tend to get overlooked, and so the move to the Karnail Singh Stadium.

“I wanted to play in the Elite Division. Here good performances will be noticed instantly. Additionally, the surety of getting employed made me choose Railways. I am looking forward to some good years with the team,” the 24-year-old said.

Fazal is expected join other hopefuls at the Ranji Trophy trials for Railways which start from September 14.

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