Croft missing for Glamorgan

Robert Croft has not been ruled out for the one-day season © Getty Images

Former England off-spinner Robert Croft has been omitted from Glamorgan’s squad for their two 50-overs pre-season games against Sussex at Hove on March 31 and April 1, and will also miss the opening Friends Provident Trophy matches of the season.

Croft, who played 50 one-day internationals for England, captained Glamorgan to their last two one-day titles in 2002 and 2004 and was named player of the year last season, but has been ignored for the first games of this term.

Glamorgan captain David Hemp said: “The decision to overlook Robert at the start of the season in one-day cricket is bound to raise a few eyebrows and I would have been surprised if people didn’t raise the odd eyebrow.

“But the management team have decided to leave him out for cricketing reasons, because we feel that one-day cricket is not just, in his case, about bowling. It’s about fielding and batting as well.

“If he was still pinch-hitting as he was a couple of years ago he would be more in line to play, but in recent times he has batted down the order," Hemp told the Western Mail.

"This was not an easy decision to make because Robert is a quality player and is still going to be important to us this season.

“Because he doesn’t play the early Friends Provident games it does not mean we are ruling him out of playing any one-day cricket this season.”

Glamorgan’s new signings, Matthew Wood, Jamie Dalrymple and Adam Shantry, are all included along with Michael Powell and David Harrison, who return after illness and injury last season.

Harrison missed the 2007 campaign with a back injury while Powell suffered serious complications following the removal of a rib.