The long-term playing future of Australia all-rounder Andrew Symonds is in doubt after he was thrown off the national squad for missing an important team meeting to go fishing.
Senior players and team management voted to send Symonds home before Australia’s opening one-day international against Bangladesh in Darwin on the weekend because of concerns about his commitment to the team.
The 33-year-old has been in trouble with team officials before and was almost sent home from the 2005 Ashes tour of England when he turned up to a match still under the influence of alcohol.
Symonds’s manager said the Queenslander was so disillusioned by his dumping from the team that he was pondering his future and considering skipping this year’s tour of India.
”Andrew’s going to take some time to reflect on what’s happened,” his manager, Matt Fearon, told reporters on Monday.
”He’s still committed to playing cricket at the highest level.
”How he goes about doing that and how it plays out I don’t know. Whether it means India I don’t know.”
Australia coach Tim Neilsen said he was already resigned to losing Symonds for the Indian series and was unsure when he may return.
”I don’t think we can bank on much at all at the moment,” Nielsen said.
”The only thing we can bank on is providing as much support as we possibly can for him to make the right decision for him and for us, to come back into the group 100% committed.
”But how long is a piece of string? I don’t know if Roy [Symonds] would understand or know how long it’s going to take. I certainly don’t.” — Reuters