Australia’s Luke Pomersbach is one of the few cricketers who showed promise in the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) but could not make it big in international cricket. Pomersbach’s career was marred by his off-the-field activities. He was once a part of Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and had to go to jail for assaulting a woman at a party during the 2012 season. The batter was addicted to alcohol and he made few appearances during his four-season IPL career.
Suspended early in his career
Born in Western Australia in 1984, Pomersbach made his domestic cricket debut in the last quarter of 2006. He was making strides in domestic cricket but his alcohol addiction overshadowed the talent he possessed. In 2007, he was found drinking with Shaun Marsh just before the match. Western Australia Cricket Board took strict action against Luke and suspended him.
In 2009, he was banned for six months from the WA state squad for smashing his car and evading police. Also, he was charged with assaulting a police officer in addition to five other offenses.
Pomersbach’s fascinating story of T20I debut
Pomersbach got the opportunity to represent Australia in T20Is when he went to watch the match against New Zealand in Perth with his girlfriend. Brad Hogg was declared unfit just before the match and captain Michael Clarke called Luke and handed him his debut cap. Coming to bat in the slog overs, he smashed one six and one four in his 7-ball 15. However, Pomersbach never played international cricket for Australia.
Pomersbach’s debut IPL season
Pomersbach was one of the few lesser-known overseas players picked up Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) for his base price. He warmed the benches for several matches before getting a chance against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). He scored an unbeaten 34 off 24 balls and shared an unbeaten 88-run partnership with Marsh. His best IPL knock came against Mumbai Indians. He contributed with an unbeaten 79 off 50 balls featuring 10 fours and three sixes and helped his side win by one run.
Went to jail after RCB’s win over Delhi
In IPL 2012, Pomersbach was in RCB side. The players were in high spirits after their win over Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals). He was invited to an after-party at the hotel by Zohal Hamid with her fiancé. Pomersbach molested the woman and beat her fiancé which led to the latter’s hospitalisation. A case was registered against him under IPC sections 354, 323 and 454. He confessed to the crime and was jailed. He was omitted from the RCB squad as well.
Back in Punjab squad
In 2013, his former franchise gave him another chance. They acquired his services for Rs 1.5 crore. However, Pomersbach could not turn his career around. He scored 33 runs from three games and never played IPL again. His IPL career spanned four seasons. From 17 games, he scored 302 runs at an average of 27.45 including one half-century.
Depression forces early retirement
Pomersbach’s alcohol-related issues continued to hinder his game. While fighting depression, he announced his retirement in 2014 when he was 29 years old. He played 56 T20s and scored 1,228 runs at an average of 26.12 including one century and five fifties. He was not impressive in first-class and List A cricket. In red-ball cricket, he scored 2,785 runs from 39 games at an average of 39.78 whereas in One-Day cricket, he had an average of 20.81 from 37 games.
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