Luke Pomersbach

A powerful left-hand batsman who pounces on short balls and backs his batting instincts, Luke Pomersbach made one of the most remarkable international debuts when he was called into Australia's Twenty20 side in Perth in December 2007. Brad Hodge injured his back while bending over to pull on his trousers and the call went out to Pomersbach, who was parking his car to attend the game as a spectator. After the shock subsided, he struck a six on his way to 15 from seven balls as Australia beat New Zealand, in a season when he was also named the Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year. If the circumstances of his debut were not incredible enough, Pomersbach was also suspended by Western Australia at the time after a drinking session with Shaun Marsh. Unfortunately for Pomersbach, that was the trend of his time with Western Australia: off-field issues too often overshadowed his on-field exploits. Four times he was suspended by the WACA and in 2009 he escaped a jail sentence when he admitted to assaulting a police officer and drink driving. In 2011 he missed a practice match following a drinking session and subsequently announced that he would take the summer off from representing Western Australia in an effort to address his issues.

The following year brought more trouble but also a new sense of direction for Pomersbach. He was charged with assault in India in 2012 when a US national alleged that Pomersbach, who played for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL, had assaulted her and her fiancé in their room at a Delhi hotel. The case was withdrawn after an out-of-court settlement. But back in Australia later that year, Queensland took a chance on Pomersbach and signed him to a one-year contract, although he was made to earn his place in the team through Brisbane grade cricket. His return was a great success in the BBL, where he was second only to his former team-mate Marsh on the competition run tally with 397 runs at 44.11, and helped the Brisbane Heat win the title. The following summer was leaner in the BBL, but he managed 431 Shield runs at 53.87 before a back injury cut short his season. However, during the 2014 off-season, Pomersbach announced that he was walking away from cricket to concentrate on his recovery from mental health issues, Queensland Cricket declaring in a statement that Pomersbach had been "battling issues associated with depression".
Brydon Coverdale