MacGill returns to New South Wales squad

Stuart MacGill can let the ball do the talking after serving his two-week ban for a verbal stoush in a Sydney club game. MacGill will return to the New South Wales team for their Pura Cup clash with South Australia at Adelaide Oval starting on Friday.

He told The Sydney Morning Herald he regretted his actions in the grade match for Sydney University that led to his suspension. "I was very, very disappointed that I wasn't able to be part of the New South Wales squad for the week," MacGill said. "My disappointments aren't individual, they're related to how I've let people down.

"I think I had a lot on my mind. It was 35 degrees, I bowled 35 overs and I was trying to fast-track my preparation for the season. I was probably thinking of everything but the things I should have been thinking of." The fast bowler Aaron Bird has been left out of the squad to make room for MacGill but the Blues have made no other changes to the line-up that pushed New South Wales to third on the Pura Cup table when they beat Queensland at the Gabba on Monday.

South Australia will take the same 12 players who suffered a demoralising last-minute loss against Victoria on Monday into the New South Wales match. The Redbacks sit second-last on the table after two games, having claimed a first-innings victory against the Blues in their opening game of the season. Since then, Matthew Elliott and Graham Manou have returned from injury to strengthen the South Australia team.

New South Wales squad Phil Jaques, Greg Mail, Ed Cowan, Dominic Thornely, Aaron O'Brien, Brad Haddin (capt, wk), Moises Henriques, Beau Casson, Matthew Nicholson, Stuart Clark, Stuart MacGill, Doug Bollinger.

South Australia squad Matthew Elliott, Shane Deitz, Daniel Harris, Cameron Borgas, Mark Cosgrove, Callum Ferguson, Darren Lehmann (capt), Graham Manou (wk), Cullen Bailey, Jason Gillespie, Paul Rofe, Shaun Tait.