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The all-rounder has been replaced by South Australian bowler Shaun Tait on the 25-man CA player list for the 2009-10 seasons.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Australia has advised Andrew Symonds that his contract offer for the next contract year (starting July 1) has been withdrawn," CA chief operations manager Michael Brown said.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."
