St George’s will have to make at least one change to their Cup Match side this year as fast bowler Stefan Kelly has been ruled out through injury.

Damon Walker, chairman of the St George’s selection committee, confirmed that the UK-based player is unavailable because of a knee injury.

“Unfortunately Stefan is injured and won’t be turning out this year,” Walker said. “He is injured but he is willing to come back and help out wherever he can.”

Kelly was again expected to play a key role in a St George’s attack that will be tasked with taking 20 wickets in order for the east enders to dethrone champions Somerset.

His finest moment to date in Cup Match arrived in 2011 when he claimed match figures of 10 for 99 at Wellington Oval to guide St George’s to a two-wicket victory.

That phenomenal display earned Kelly the Cup Match Most Valuable Player Award for the first time.

Asked is Kelly’s unavailability a setback, Walker said: “I wouldn’t necessarily call it a setback because there are other options we can try.

“This year we have a good crop of young players coming through so we may just try a different direction.

“We have a pretty huge crop to chose from in the bowling department so you might see a new face or even a recall.”

Kelly and Justin Pitcher helped St George’s salvage a draw at Somerset last year where their last-wicket stand in the second innings ate up vital overs, leaving Somerset little more than five overs to score 95 runs for victory.

Meanwhile, it remains to be seen whether St George’s batsman OJ Pitcher will be involved in the challengers’ final trial at Wellington Oval on Saturday.

The former St George’s captain collapsed during St David’s defeat by Bailey’s Bay in the Eastern Counties Cup first round at Lord’s at the weekend.

Pitcher became unwell during Bay’s innings in the final over before lunch with chest pains and required medical attention on the pitch before being taken to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.

The St David’s and Bermuda captain was not deemed well enough to return to the match and was not released by the hospital until 9pm on Saturday night.

Pitcher stepped down as St George’s Cup Match captain after two years in the role and has been replaced by Macai Simmons, who represented then cup holders St David’s as a guest player against a victorious Bay side.

This year’s annual two-day Cup Match classic takes place at Wellington Oval on August 3-4.