Slater loses state berth

Michael Slater's disastrous season took another turn for the worse today when selectors axed him from the New South Wales team to play Victoria in a Pura Cup match starting in Sydney on Friday.

The former Test opener has surrendered his place in the Blues' line-up after a lean patch with the bat that has seen him score just 257 first-class runs this summer at an average of 25.70 from his 11 Pura Cup innings. It follows his exclusion from the Australian team late last year.

"It's always distressing to leave out a talented player, especially one with a career record like Michael's," said John Benaud, chairman of the New South Wales selection panel, in a short statement.

"He's sadly out of touch at the moment.

"Hopefully, some time in the middle away from the pressure cooker of first-class cricket might help him get back to his very best form."

Slater, an aggressive right handed batsman, has played 74 Tests and 42 one-day international matches for Australia but lost his place in the national side when Justin Langer was preferred to him for the fifth and final Test of the 2001 Ashes series in England. Langer has subsequently enjoyed a record-breaking season with Matthew Hayden at the top of the Australian order in an association that has already produced four double century partnerships in the space of seven matches.

Slater, 31, enjoyed a meteoric rise at the start of his career, winning a call-up to the Australian side in the same season as he made his first-class debut for New South Wales. He was omitted from his country's team for a period of 18 months between late 1996 and early 1998 but otherwise remained a fixture in the side for the eight years that led up to his axing in England.

His omission today from his state team - which comes only five months after the loss of his Australian position - was part of two changes made to the squad which suffered a 67-run defeat at the hands of South Australia in Adelaide last weekend.

The Blues, who chose batsmen Graeme Rummans and Matthew Phelps over Slater and twelfth man Anthony Clark, have now dropped to fourth on the Pura Cup table with four rounds remaining.

The full New South Wales team to play Victoria is: Stuart MacGill (c), Greg Mail, Brett van Deinsen, Matthew Phelps, Corey Richards, Graeme Rummans, Michael Clarke, Mark Higgs, Brad Haddin, Nathan Bracken, Don Nash, Stuart Clark (12th man to be named).