The Western Australian Cricket Association (WACA) has banned Luke Pomersbach from playing for his state until at least January next year after the batsman pleaded guilty to six charges following several alcohol-related incidents last Sunday.
Pomersbach appeared in Perth Magistrate's Court on Friday morning, where he pleaded guilty to charges including assaulting a police officer, driving with a blood alcohol level higher than .08, obstructing police and attempting to escape from legal custody.
The 24-year-old was fined $3,500 by the court and had his licence suspended for six months after driving his vehicle into a skip bin in City Beach, pushing the bin into a house's pergola.
Along with his court fines and insurance costs, the WACA has fined him $10,000, half of which is suspended, and banned him from playing for the Warriors until the end of the 2010-11 season.
However, WACA chief executive Graeme Wood said Pomersbach could return to the side on January 1 next year if the WACA is 'completely satisfied' he has attended 'all medical and counselling sessions' and 'strictly adhered to the terms of his playing contract'.
If Pomersbach does play next year, the extra 12-month ban and a $5,000 fine will be suspended until the end of the 2010-11 season. But the existing ban still means Pomersbach will miss seven Sheffield Shield matches, six Ford Ranger Cup games and one Twenty20 Big Bash game.
Wood said the WACA had no choice but to impose a serious punishment on top of the court fine.
"It's certainly a harsh penalty but it needed to be, this was a very serious incident," Wood said on Friday afternoon.
"He's obviously very sorry for what happened last week and very remorseful."
"(But) the onus is really on him to turn things around."
"He has got a pathway back, but he will obviously be monitored very strictly. If he does those things, he has got a pathway, he'll be back playing by January 1, if he doesn't, well it's in his court."
Pomersbach has been suspended by the WACA three times over the past two seasons, one of which was for a drunken incident that also involved team-mate Shaun Marsh.
Despite this Wood said the WACA would be supportive as Pomersbach has struggled with various personal issues, including the media attention that comes with being an elite cricketer.
But Wood refused to categorically say this was Pomersbach's final chance.
"There's no doubting that his record hasn't been good," Wood said.
"In the past he certainly has had issues in regard to team rules and team behaviours (but) this is a breach of the Code of Behaviour and is basically separate from that."
"I think everyone deserves a chance. This is the first serious breach of a Code of Behaviour, so it's really up to him now to make sure that he turns around."
"(But) if he doesn't abide by the conditions, we would certainly look very seriously at terminating his contract."
Pomersbach was supported in court by references from former Australian greats Justin Langer and Adam Gilchrist.
Magistrate Elizabeth Woods heard Pomersbach attempted to drive to his girlfriend's house after a drunken argument on Sunday night. Halfway there, Pomersbach decided to return home, but hit the skip bin on his way before driving off.
Police were called and followed the oil trail to Pomersbach's house, where the batsman pushed a police officer who was attempting to arrest him. The officer fell against a window and received lacerations to his thumb, while Pomersbach ran away, later to be found in sand dunes nearby.
Pomersbach has previously played one Twenty20 match for Australia. In bizarre circumstances, the batsman was called up to the squad while attending the clash with New Zealand as a spectator, following a changing room injury to Brad Hodge.