CA want all or nothing from Symonds

The future of the fallen star Andrew Symonds could be as much in his own hands as it is Cricket Australia's.

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The future of the fallen star Andrew Symonds could be as much in his own hands as it is Cricket Australia's (CA), the chief executive officer James Sutherland said today. As Australia gained an unassailable 2-0 lead in their best-of-three series against Bangladesh in Darwin, Symonds was away from the team pondering his future in the game after being sent home for missing a compulsory team meeting on Saturday.

Sutherland said Symonds's situation had been dealt with by the Australian team leadership group as a "welfare issue". Even if Symonds again made himself available for international cricket, if he returned to the Australian team would be decided by CA, Sutherland said. Australia will play a four-Test series in India next month before the start of the Australian summer, which will feature six Tests and 13 one-day internationals and Twenty20 matches against New Zealand and South Africa.

They then head to South Africa for a two-month long tour before travelling to England for the ICC World Twenty20 and the defence of the Ashes. "He needs to work out that he does definitely want to commit to the Australian cricket team and everything that comes with that," Sutherland said. "But on top of that there's also a duty of care that we have as an employer to ensure that he is in a fit state." sports@thenational.ae