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South Australia lose Pollard for Champions League

South Australia are resigned to being without the powerful allrounder Kieron Pollard for the Champions League in South Africa in September

Cricinfo staff
25-Jun-2010
Shaun Tait will be a major weapon for South Australia if his body holds up  •  AFP

Shaun Tait will be a major weapon for South Australia if his body holds up  •  AFP

South Australia are resigned to being without the powerful allrounder Kieron Pollard for the Champions League in South Africa in September and are still waiting to learn whether Shahid Afridi will be available. Pollard and Afridi were key components in the Redbacks qualifying for the lucrative Twenty20 event, but they were not part of the state's 20-man preliminary squad for the tournament.
Pollard's IPL side Mumbai Indians are also in the competition and he will have a third option if his home side Trinidad and Tobago win the domestic series in the West Indies next month. Afridi's calendar has become complicated by his new leadership duties with Pakistan and a South Australian spokeswoman said they were unsure whether he would be available.
The offspinner Dan Cullen has been given hope that his career with South Australia is not over after being named in the outfit. Cullen, who played a Test in 2006, was cut from the Redbacks' contract list along with Mark Cosgrove after the summer, but remains in their plans even if he doesn't make the final 15-man squad.
South Australia will test out their new leadership team at the event, which they qualified for by finishing runner up to Victoria in the 2009-10 Big Bash final. Michael Klinger is the new captain and his deputy is Callum Ferguson, who did not play at all last summer due to a knee reconstruction.
The squad will be boosted by Shaun Tait and Daniel Christian, who are currently playing in England's domestic Twenty20 competition. Tait is with Glamorgan while Christian, a non-playing member of Australia's World Twenty20 squad, is at Hampshire.
South Australia squad Daniel Harris, James Smith, Michael Klinger (capt), Cameron Borgas, Aaron O'Brien, Graham Manou (wk), Daniel Christian, Gary Putland, Peter George, Callum Ferguson, Kane Richardson, Michael Cranmer, Jake Haberfield, Tim Ludeman, Shaun Tait, Tom Cooper, Chris Duval, Joel Davies, Cullen Bailey, Daniel Cullen.