I'll not bowl in Afro-Asia Cup: Pollock

Johannesburg, May 31 (UNI) The spurious credentials of the Afro-Asia Cup has suffered yet another set back with South African all-rounder Shaun Pollock confirming that he will not bowl in the next month's tournament to be held in Bangalore.

Pollock, who is currently recuperating from an feet operation told a cricket website, ''I'm going as a batsman only. I had a minor operation to remove a growth from my foot and it's still very 'eina' at the moment, especially for bowling.'' ''But you know me- I won't miss a chance to move up the batting order and get some quality time at the crease,'' the veteran all-rounder added.

The three-match ODI series between the Asian cricketing giants and their African counterparts has already seen the loss of big guns like Sachin Tendulkar, Shoaib Akhtar, Chaminda Vass and Lasith Malinga.

To add salt to the wound, the participation of many South African cricketers are unsure, as captain Graeme Smith is recovering from a knee operation and all-rounder Jacques Kallis, Andrew Hall and pacer Andre Nel are on county duty. Even wicket-keeper batsman Mark Boucher and Herschelle Gibbs are also yet to confirm their participation in the tournament.

UNI