Klusener to take legal action against South African board

Lance Klusener is to take legal action against the United Cricket Board of South Africa (UCB) for unfair dismissal after his exclusion from the team following the World Cup. Klusener is also threatening to sue Graeme Smith for calling him a "disruptive element." Smith, the South African captain, made the remarks before leaving for a tour of England in June.

According to BBC Sport, Klusener also claims the UCB told him he was being "rested" for the Bangladesh tour, but would be given a contract for the Test series against England, for which he was not, in the end, required for. As a result, he is now claiming for loss of earnings as he didn't make himself available for any English counties, thinking he would be with the national side.

Andrew Shedlock, Klusener's agent, said: "Although Lance just wants to play for South Africa again, he is also looking for compensation." He continued, "Lance has been South Africa's best one-day cricketer since before the 1999 World Cup, so he couldn't have been dropped for cricketing reasons. Your guess is as good as mine as to what the real reasons are."

He added: "But both the convenor of selectors, Omar Henry, who told him personally, and selector Hugh Page, on a television magazine show, said Lance was just being rested for the Bangladesh trip, so he was given expectations. To then just dump him was a terrible thing to do and, even if it was because of what he's supposedly like in the dressing-room, why didn't he have a disciplinary hearing?"

A spokesman for the UCB told the BBC website: "We are aware of the action Lance Klusener is taking but we have been advised by our lawyers to make no comment on the matter."