T20 World cup 2009: Andrew Symonds sent home from T20 World Cup
Controversial Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds is on his way home from the ICC World Twenty20 Championship for skipping the team practice at the Oval following an “alcohol-related incident”, media reports said on Thursday.
The international career of Andrew Symonds appears to be all but over now following his dismissal from the Australian squad preparing for the World Twenty20 Championships.
In London ahead of the opening match on Saturday between Australia and the West Indies at the Brit Oval, Symonds was a notable absentee from today’s training session. It left many speculating, and as we’ve found out this evening, the Queensland all-rounder was involved in yet another alcohol related incident overnight at an official team function.
Cricket Australia (CA) officials though remain tight-lipped on what exactly occurred, other than confirming Symonds had been sacked from the touring squad and will be sent home immediately. Speaking this evening in a specially convened media conference, CA’s chief executive officer James Sutherland said, “Andrew has in the last 24-48 hours broken a number of team rules.”
“In isolation those breaches are not significant but in the context of commitments that Andrew has made to his team mates and Cricket Australia over the last 6-12 months they are the final straw.” “I’m disappointed in Andrew, but at the same time I’m disappointed for Andrew.”
“There’s no joy for me in standing here tonight advising you of this and in fact I’m quite sad about it, but at the same time we must balance the interests of Australian Cricket and the team with those of the welfare of individual players.”
Symonds had only recently been re-signed for the 2009-10 calendar season as part of Cricket Australia’s top list of 25 players despite being overlooked for the Ashes Test squad. However, speculation is rife that the new contract will be torn up before it takes effect on July 1.
A veteran of 26 Tests, 198 One-Day and 14 Twenty20 Internationals, Symonds holds a lucrative million dollar contract with the Indian Premier League Twenty20 franchise Deccan Chargers.
Ricky Ponting said Andrew Symonds had “let himself down, let all his team-mates down and Cricket Australia down” after he was sent home from Australia’s squad at the World Twenty20 in England.
Cricket Australia will now liaise with the International Cricket Council (ICC) to determine the possibility of replacing Symonds in the Twenty20 squad with a decision likely to be announced shortly.