Those many people who follow Scottish cricket have grown accustomed to baffling strategies and strange selections during the Peter Steindl era, but even so, the treatment of Neil Carter throughout the last few days in Dubai has bordered on the surreal.
When the 38-year-old former Warwickshire star was originally chosen as part of the Scotland squad, which is currently involved in a pivotal series of contests against Afghanistan, some queried his inclusion. Carter's best days were surely behind him and what kind of message did it send to aspiring youngsters if he could walk into the set-up despite the fact he will be over 40 by the next World Cup?
But, in the cold light of day, I admit that I adopted the stance that such considerations were irrelevant if Carter could put the Afghanis to the sword in the looming brace of World Cricket League tussles. Even in the twilight of his career, the bludgeoning batsman and bustling bowler could surely offer the Scots a variety of valuable gifts in the form of the game which he most prefers?
So, from that perspective, the news that Carter hadn't been invited to the WCL party was one of those moments where you read the names on the list again, convinced there was a gremlin in the system. But no. According to Cricket Scotland, the fact that Steindl had to announce his ensemble early meant there wasn't sufficient time to properly assess Carter's credentials. Thus, he will be absent from two of the most crucial fixtures in Scotland's recent history.
Frankly, it is difficult to imagine a more addle-headed judgment by the powers-that-be, whatever we make of the official explanation. Carter is a vastly experienced cricketer, a man whose talents have graced the sport all over the world, and he has been with the Scottish touring party for the last fortnight? Are we really being asked to believe that the management omitted him because he hadn't ticked a box or two? If so, why was he picked in the first place? It is not as if he is at a stage where anybody could remotely describe Carter as an unknown quantity.
Quite the opposite in fact.
Yet, in the aftermath of a second T20 defeat for the Scots, one where Carter wasn't involved, you have to wonder whether Steindl has ever heard of trusting your instincts. I have no input into the Afghan camp, but I would wager they were delighted when they discovered that Carter was out of the WCL equation. Because, make no mistake, these contests are far and away the main priority on the tour itinerary. And, for all that the Scots possess several potential match-winners in such performers as Richie Berrington, Kyle Coetzer, Calum MacLeod, Matt Machan, Majid Haq and Iain Wardlaw, there is no way Carter should have been ignored. After all, as the Twenty20 games demonstrated, Scotland aren't exactly bursting at the seams with players who can seize the initiative away from opponents and transform a contest in eight or 10 overs.
What we have here is a situation which, from the outside, has the whiff of ineptitude. Having called up Carter, and faced up to their critics, one would have envisaged the Scots would have pitched him into both WCL encounters and backed the old boy to rise to the occasion. What one wouldn't have anticipated is that he would be left on the periphery with the hint of his involvement in the Intercontinental Cup clash against the Afghanis later this month.
Ultimately, it appears a squandered opportunity and a waste of Carter's prime assets. One hopes this wretched tale doesn't return to haunt Steindl and Co later this week!