Kings XI player Pomersbach found guilty of assault

Kings XI Punjab and Australian batsman Luke Pomersbach has been suspended from the Western Australian side pending the result of a court case after he was charged with assaulting police and a number of traffic offences.

Kings XI Punjab and Australian batsman Luke Pomersbach has been suspended from the Western Australian side pending the result of a court case after he was charged with assaulting police and a number of traffic offences.

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Pomersbach, who played one Twenty20 for Australia, was allegedly driving a car that was involved in an accident at City Beach, Perth, around 9.30pm Sunday night before driving off. Police claim that 15 minutes later his car hit a loaded skip bin hurtling it into the pergola of a nearby home.

The cricketer is alleged to have driven from the scene again, but officers followed an oil trail from the accident that led to his home. He was then apparently involved in a struggle with the police and an officer was knocked through the window of his house.

It is alleged that he fled the scene, but was tracked by police sniffer dogs to nearby sand dunes and arrested.

Pomersbach has been charged with failing to stop, failing to accompany police, driving while drunk, assaulting a police officer, obstructing police and escaping legal custody and is due to appear in the Perth Magistrates Court on Friday.

West Australian Cricket Association chief executive officer, former Test batsman, Graeme Wood and state coach Tom Moody met to decide the cricketer's future. "The matter will be heard in the Perth Magistrates Court on Friday. Until then, Luke has been suspended from all pre-season training commitments with the Warriors," the Warriors said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Kings XI Punjab have refrained from commenting on the issue. "We are still corroborating the information. He has been with us for both the seasons, and we didn't see him come even remotely close to a violent behaviour. He has been really sweet and we have had no issues with him" said Kings XI official Arvinder Singh.s

His team-mates, too, are shocked by the incident. "He's quite friendly and got along well with everyone. I have been in regular touch with him and I don't know how to react to it," said a Kings XI Punjab player.

Courtesy: The Australian (with inputs from Subhash Rajta in New Delhi)