A practising lawyer, Nathan Adcock's legal career was put on hold throughout 2007-08 after he was handed the South Australia captaincy. But his place was in doubt almost from the start and, with a first-class average of 13.83 for the season, in March he was axed from the Pura Cup squad, with his deputy Graham Manou taking over as captain.

He continued to lead their one-day campaign however, and with some success as they finished third, with his off-spin also proving useful.

The previous year Adcock had led the state's second XI and his club side, University, and despite his sporadic state appearances he was viewed as the best man to guide a young Redbacks line-up in the post-Lehmann era. He played only four first-class matches in 2006-07 but scored a half-century in the middle order in each of the last three games and topped South Australia's averages with 324 runs at 46.28.

His best was 95 in their sole Pura Cup win and he finished the summer in career-best form, having previously managed only 18 first-class games in nine seasons. In 2005-06, the Redbacks had not required him as the order became jammed.

Tall at 190cm, Adcock became a first-class player in 1997-98 and was an Academy representative in 1998, but until the latest campaign had managed only one century and a single fifty.

Cricinfo staff April 2008