by Veena Gabriel

The hard hitting all rounder was named to be a member of Australian squad for test series against New Zealand.He was welcomed with open arms especially by Mathew Hayden.Obviously Hayden and the whole team missed him and naturally wanted him back after the fiasco in India where Team Australia was trounced by a “Third World Country”
Symonds was dropped for his repeated misdemeanours ,namely drunken brawls,alleged spat with vice captain Micheal Clarke and a missed practice session because he had gone fishing.
Well it seems all that has been forgiven and forgotten,and a two month rehabilitation programme seems to have brought in control the wild and devil may care attitude of Symonds.
As per Hilditch, the chief selector,Andrew Symonds has nothing to prove as he is a great player. Even he seems to have overlooked the non play in Sheffield Shield where he had scored 88 runs at 13.33 in three games.
For now Symonds has been named as 13 player but as per experts he will be brought back into the fold, though the team composition is yet to be decided.
Obviously Symonds is in seventh heaven,after being shown out not because of lack of form,. This gifted cricketer is more than happy to once again don the baggy greens which he lost due to his stupidity.
And naturally it hurt him to see his team being washed out by India, the team he had shown scant respect for, remember the sledging and the resultant monkey gate.
Alcohol addiction is also said to have played a major role in Symonds’ downhill road beginning with that infamous disobedience in Cardiff. Although he confesses that the acerbic series against India pushed him further towards the drink, that there was a problem was obvious from the early days. Even Michael Clarke, vice captain of Australia and one of Symonds’ friends in the Australian team, was also at the receiving end of one of Symonds’ unpleasant episodes.
This information follows on the back of Herschelle Gibbs of South Africa being disciplined for a similar offence, though the reasons leading up to it may be starkly different. It certainly touched a chord of players being fallible mortals, not the demi gods that they are made out to be.
Hopefully Symonds has learned his lesson and emerges as a better cricketer and above that a better human being who respects the feelings of others also.

Also read:
Gibbs’ Suspension – Marital Discord’s to Blame?

Gibbs creates world record hitting six sixes in an over

Brett Lee Pulls out of Bangladesh Series; Split with wife Liz cited

Part One: Pampered and Spoilt: When Cricketers Become Politicians and Celebrities

Brett Lee: All in the Attempt to Preserve ‘the Brand’

and catch more articles on Symonds’ autobiograhy, Gilly’s tales and Waugh’s views on Crickblog.com360391