Symonds contract withdrawn by Cricket Australia Board

Andrew Symonds` international career appears to be over after Cricket Australia withdrew its offer of a national contract.

The all-rounder has been replaced by South Australian bowler Shaun Tait on the 25-man CA player list for the 2009-10 seasons.

"Cricket Australia has advised Andrew Symonds that his contract offer for the next contract year (starting July 1) has been withdrawn," CA chief operations manager Michael Brown said.

"Selectors have convened and have added (fast bowler) Shaun Tait to the contract list for the coming year."

Brown said Symonds would still be clear to play in Australia and he hoped the big-hitting all-rounder would continue to play for his state Queensland in the domestic competition.

Symonds was sent home before the start of the ICC World Twenty20 for an alcohol-related offence and, according to CA chief executive James Sutherland, it was the 'final straw' after a long and chequered track record off the field.

The first time Symonds was in trouble was four years ago, when he was excluded from the Australian team for a one-day international against Bangladesh in Cardiff after arriving for the match drunk. Australia went on to suffer a shock defeat in the match.

He was then embroiled in the ugly racism row that marred India-Australia relations in the controversy ridden tour in 2008, but he bounced back to make a regular place for himself in both Test matches and ODIs. However, he was back to his wayward behavior when just over nine months ago when he was sent home from Darwin for going fishing instead of attending a team meeting.

After missing the October tour of India, Symonds was recalled for the Test series against New Zealand but again found himself in hot water following a radio interview in which he alleged that Brendon McCullum was "a piece of sh*t", and an altercation with a fan at a Brisbane.

Symonds then missed the latter stages of the Australian summer with a knee injury that required surgery, with Cricket Australia disciplining him for his remarks on McCullum.

Ruled ineligible for selection following that incident in a radio interview, Symonds was not part of the tour to South Africa in February and March but was reinstated in April and offered a new CA contract.

Even as recently as the IPL finals, Symonds had displayed his boorish side, constantly sledging the teenaged Bangalore batsman Manish Pandey.

Overlooked for Ashes selection last month, Symonds was nonetheless included in the ICC World Twenty20 squad but his latest infraction now looks to have brought an end to a controversial international career.

Shaun Tait now has the opportunity to cement himself in the Australian team after being left off the original CA contract offer list.

The paceman injured his hamstring earlier this year but was working to get fit in time to play for the Rajasthan Royals in this year's IPL.

However, CA forbade him from traveling to South Africa for the tournament before he was then left out of the squad for the ICC World Twenty20 and denied a contract offer.

"When you think you are ready to go and play and obviously Cricket Australia had it in their mind, they thought they had it in their mind, they wanted me for future tournaments that was fair enough," Tait said last month.

"But to not let you go, not pick you in a squad and then not give you a contract is a little bit of a kick in the teeth.

"That's the other disappointing thing. I could've gone over and trained with them (Rajasthan) and been around the lads, mingled with 'Warnie' (Shane Warne), he's a great mentor, that would've been good."

But Tait is now back in favor with CA and national selection panel chairman Andrew Hilditch expects big things from the quick.

"Shaun at his best is an important part of our one-day international and Twenty20 make-up and I'm sure he will now seize the opportunity presented to him with this offer of a further Australian contract."

Teammates optimistic of Symonds' return

His ouster from the Twenty20 World Cup squad notwithstanding, Andrew Symonds continues to enjoy the backing of his teammates, who are convinced that the temperamental all-rounder would return to the Australian squad again.
Speedster Brett Lee described Symonds as "world's greatest guy" and was optimistic of his return to the national team.
"To lose a player of his caliber leaves a big hole in the team but hopefully he will be back shortly," said Lee.
"I'm disappointed he's flying home. As his teammates we will be trying our hardest to make sure he gets back in the Australian cricket team at some stage," he was quoted as saying by the Australian Associated Press (AAP).
"What's happened with Andrew is a very personal blow to him but as mates we'll be sticking by him and making sure we give him our best advice and the help he needs," the 32-year-old pacer added.
Lee conceded Symonds would be missed in the Twenty20 World Cup but he urged teammates to lift themselves and focus on the job ahead.
"We have to move on. As his teammates we are disappointed that Andrew is going home but we will try to find a way to fill that gap.
"He's a world-class player and to leave a gap like that is not great for the Australian team but we always find a way to fill a void," he said. Fellow pacer Nathan Bracken said he too was sorry to see Symonds leave in such a fashion.
"He's a tremendous talent, he fits in and gets on well with the boys and to say it is the end of his career is a big call," said Bracken.
"He's got the talent and the ability at this level, we all enjoy him being around and enjoy watching him play cricket so hopefully he'll be back shortly.
"When you play professional sport you have very little margin for error and for him it's been tough - to be sent home from a tour is hard so every guy in a way will feel sorry for him," said the left-arm pacer.
An equally sad Mike Hussey said other players need to put behind the episode and concentrate on the job at hand.
"We've got to concentrate on our preparations and make sure we are 100 per cent ready for the West Indies on Saturday. We can't afford to let it affect our preparations," he said.
"I feel bad for the guy, I really hope he can get any issues sorted out and I hope he can still play cricket for Australia because he's shown over a long period of time how good a player he is," he said.

Symonds let Australia down: Ponting

Australia captain Ricky Ponting says all-rounder Andrew Symonds let himself and the team down with his latest off-field troubles.
Symonds was sent home from the Twenty20 World Cup on Thursday for what Cricket Australia described as an alcohol-related breach of team rules and other violations.
Ponting declined to give specifics of Symonds' behavior, but said the player broke a "number of his own commitments" in the past 24-48 hours and the decision to kick him off the squad was taken "in the bigger picture" of Australian cricket.
"He let himself down, he let his team-mates down and let Cricket Australia down," Ponting said at a news conference at The Oval.
Ponting said Australia are looking for a replacement for Symonds ahead of the team's opening match of the Twenty20 World Cup on Saturday against West Indies.
"We're all disappointed with what happened over the last 24 hours," he said. "Losing one of the best Twenty20 players in the world is obviously not ideal."
But Ponting said the team would cope without him.
"Hopefully we don't miss a beat from here," he said. "It would be like wishing in a couple of weeks' time that we had McGrath, Hayden and Warne around. That's not going to happen."
A decision on Symonds' future is up to the Cricket Australia board.

Warne willing to take India job

Legendary Australian spinner and captain of the Rajasthan Royals Shane Warne said that he is willing working to help the spinners in India if the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) offers him a job.

In an exclusive interview with IBN7 and CNN-IBN, Shane Warne said that he would consider any such offer in the future.

"If the BCCI wants to work in the spin department, I would have to work with our man Manoj Badale (co-owner, Rajasthan Royals) and I'm sure we can come up with something. I am not ruling any thing out but I am not saying I am agreeing to it now. It depends on my time and my family. But if there is an offer, any offer, I will see if it fits," said Warne.

The former Australian player said that he has worked with the spinners in his Royals team and would love to impart his knowledge to other young Indian spinners.

"As far as the BCCI goes, I work with all the spinners. Yusuf Pathan, Abhishek Raut and Ravindra Jadeja, who had a great last year, I work with all of them. I love cricket and I try to impart my knowledge on leadership on a lot of guys. As far as spin bowling goes, I would love to help any bowler. I would like to help (Amit) Mishra and Piyush (Chawla) and a few other guys as well," stated Warne.

The Rajasthan Royals captain also said that he would cherish the opportunity of coming to India and working there.

"I love India these days. It took me a long time to embrace the culture and appreciate India. It probably took me a couple of tours to understand that. But the last two Australian tours and the last two seasons of IPL have been great. The Indian people have been wonderful and I really appreciate that. The way they have welcomed me I think they have really appreciated the way I have looked after the youngsters of the Rajasthan Royals. The way we play makes our brand of cricket very exciting, so I think every body has a soft spot for the Rajasthan Royals," added Warne.

Symonds left out of Australia's Ashes squad

Controversial all-rounder Andrew Symonds was a notable omission from Australia's squad for this year's Ashes cricket tour to England when it was announced on Wednesday.

Selectors named a 16-man squad with three all-rounders -- Shane Watson, Andrew McDonald and Marcus North -- but there was no room for the 34-year-old Symonds.

Symonds has had a chequered 26-Test career and has not played for Australia since last year's Boxing Day Test against South Africa in Melbourne following a season of injury, poor form and off-field personal problems.

"Selectors have a tough job picking any team and it's obviously hard picking an Ashes squad and unfortunately for Andrew this time there hasn't been room in the 16-man squad for him," skipper Ricky Ponting said at the team announcement.

"He made a reasonable comeback in the one-day team (against Pakistan) in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the last few weeks and unfortunately he missed out on this selection.

"But I know he'll keep working hard and he'll give himself every opportunity to make his way back into the team in the future."

Chairman of selectors, Andrew Hilditch, said the selection of injury-prone Watson was subject to his recovery from a groin injury.

"I suppose Andrew Symonds and Shane Watson were competing for the same spot, I would class them both as batters who give us quality overs at their best, but on this occasion Shane has been preferred because in the selectors' view he adds great balance to the team," Hilditch said.

"Shane was in extremely good form before his minor injury and in addition he gives us quality pace bowling and he's capable of batting anywhere in the top six, so we think he's a very good selection for the Ashes tour."

Watson said he expected to be bowling in the nets next week after recovering from his latest setback and to be fit and ready by the time the team arrives in England.

Opening batsman Phillip Hughes is the youngster of the tourists at 20, and comes into the Ashes series on the back of scoring four centuries during a recent six-week English county guest stint with Middlesex.

"Phil Hughes has been setting the world on fire over there which is great for him and the team when we all arrive and get under way," Ponting said.

"We have a great balance of youth and experience, so hopefully when the big moments come around it will be all of us who stick our hands up and get the job done.

"Ponting's touring party will have a six-strong pace attack, headed by 310-Test wicket-taker Brett Lee and left-armer Mitchell Johnson. They will be backed up by Stuart Clark, Peter Siddle, Ben Hilfenhaus and Watson. Off spinner Nathan Hauritz was handed the specialist spinner's role, supported by Marcus North and left-armer Michael Clarke.

South Australian Graham Manou was named as a back-up wicketkeeper to Brad Haddin. The five-Test series starts with the First Test in Cardiff from July 8 and finishes with the Fifth Test at The Oval in late August.

Australia hold the Ashes after whitewashing England 5-0 in the last 2006-07 series at home after losing the famous urn in a titanic 2-1 defeat in England in 2005.