Pollard ruled out of Ram Slam T20, BBL

West Indies allrounder Kieron Pollard will miss the remainder of Cape Cobras' Ram Slam T20 Challenge after injuring his right knee during the clash against Knights in Paarl.

Pollard picked up the injury while turning quickly to field a ball, but despite experiencing discomfort, he returned to bat in the second innings, hammering 23 off 12 balls to power his team to a four-wicket win. A CSA release later confirmed that Pollard will return to the Caribbean on Wednesday for treatment.

"We are severely disappointed about the loss of a stalwart like Kieron," Paul Adams, Cobras' coach, said. "Kieron has given his all. The fact that he went out to bat after he got injured, underlines his dedication and commitment to the team. He has been an inspiration to the whole squad."

Pollard was named the Ram Slam T20 Challenge player of the year during the 2014-15 season, as he ended the tournament with 14 wickets and 243 runs from 11 matches, helping Cobras to the title.

The news also came as a blow to the Adelaide Strikers, who confirmed that Pollard was ruled out of the upcoming Big Bash League season, scheduled to begin next month. The Strikers, who announced the signing of England legspinner Adil Rashid last week, will now have to find another international signing to replace Pollard.

"This is obviously terrible news and our first concern is that Kieron can make a full recovery from his injury," Tim Nielsen, the SACA high performance general manager, said. "He's become a regular at Adelaide Oval and I'm sure both our fans and players will be devastated not to see him in Strikers' colours.

"Kieron is a unique player because he has all-round ability as a batsman, bowler and fielder, so it's going to be difficult to replace him but we're investigating all options and will try to find the best fit for the team. Our first match against the Melbourne Stars is less than four weeks away now, so there's a lot of work to do but we're confident we can find a suitable replacement."