Pomersbach needs to buckle down, says coach

as posted here

* Tim Clarke
* January 15, 2009 - 12:28PM

WA's troubled batting star Luke Pomersbach still has a future at the top level of cricket, according to WA coach Tom Moody , but has been warned his work rate needs to match his talent if he wants to play for Australia again.

Pomersbach's underwhelming season this year took a drastic turn last week, when he was fined and dropped for missing a club game after going AWOL following the funeral of a close friend.

WA will be attempting to make the Big Bash preliminary final against Queensland tonight, without Pomersbach who was not considered for selection for the game because of his latest indiscretion.

But Moody said the 24 year-old could still have a massive future in the game - but needs to buckle down.

"He is in the equations from tonight onwards, but Luke has got to go back into the systems, score runs, recapture form and like everyone else present himself as a selection opportunity for the first one day after the T20 program," Moody said.

"He has not gone anywhere, but like a lot of players it is coming to terms with the recognition, that responsibility and expectation.

"The player is still there, the quality is still there, the X factor is still there - he just needs to get focused, work harder and recapture that form.

"It is how he bounces back is the most important thing."

After a season of indifferent form last week Pomersbach was dropped to the second XI by Moody, his season taking a tragic turn when a close friend died suddenly.

This turn of fate rendered him unavailable for the closing stages of the WA second XI clash with New South Wales.

But the 24 year-old then failed to make contact with the WACA on Friday and Saturday, when he was due to play for club site Gosnells.

That breached his contract with the WACA, and while a statement said the Association was sympathetic to Pomersbach's situation, his behaviour had been deemed unacceptable.

Moody said Pomersbach's slump from Australian T20 debutant just over a year ago and IPL star was a lesson that talent can only get you so far.

"He has not lost that exceptional talent, that is still three - but he has got to realize that it takes a little but more than talent to be successful on a consistent basis," Moody said.

"Having worked with him and Shaun (Marsh) during the IPL we were very ,mindful on keeping an eye on that type of thing. He did not get ahead of himself.

"But he is realising it is a pretty competitive world out there when it comes to staking a claim for not only WA but Australia, and it takes a lot of hard work in combination with what God's given you."

Moody said a similar message had got through to Marsh, who will line up for Australia against South Africa in the first one day international at the MCG tomorrow.

"We felt Shaun turned the corner a couple of weeks ago with his form, so I am sure a big knock is around the corner," Moody said.

"It is a shame it did not happen with us, but I think Australia is going to get the reward for that. He is going through a lean period as well, but he has recognized he has got to work a lot harder as well."

And the coach also said he believed the spectre of Matthew Hayden's impending retirement - confirmed earlier this week - may have been attracting Marsh's eye away from his immediate priority.

"Hayden was always going to retire at some point, and maybe that has been the problem with Shaun.

"Maybe he has recognized potentially there is a spot coming up and he's been focused too far ahead of himself and not concentrating on the immediate issues which are continuing to work on his game, work hard and score runs here."

Meanwhile Moody said he has still had no contact from English cricket bosses, after his name was strongly linked to the head coaching job made vacant by Peter Moores' sacking last week.


as posted here