Symonds sent home

[Bees]

I'm having trouble grasping the concept that his team-mates may have supported this decision. I haven't been in a proper cricket team, so it's probably my personal illusion that everyone on the team are close mates?

 

[Goughy]

I'm having trouble grasping the concept that his team-mates may have supported this decision. I haven't been in a proper cricket team, so it's probably my personal illusion that everyone on the team are close mates?

Close mates dont miss compulsory team metings that everyone else feels obliged to attend.

Symonds may be a realy nice guy, but perception is reality and Im sure there are a lot of guys that dont like him for perceived arrogance.

As for being close frieds in a team. You generally have small groups that are close and a number of guys that you are friendly with but dont really spend much time with. There are then, of course, the occasional teammates you dont like or even hate.

It isnt as simple as sharing a dressing rom with someone and automatically becoming close mates.

 

[BoyBrumby]

There may be more to the story than is being let on.

However, I dont mind the decision. Failing to attend teammeetings is the ultimate lack of respect for your teammates.

They all attend and gift each other the same courtesies and one guy (with a terrible record) decides he can do what he wants and can do seperate to what his teammates are required to do.

I may seem a hardass, but Id have voted to send him home if I was either a coach or a player.

Dont need attitude like that in the dressingroom of the best team in the World. Lack of professionalism is part of what brought WI cricket down.

Would agree there. I mean, the bloke's supposedly a senior pro now (33 from memory?) so he's way past the age where such petty indiscretions might be put down to youth.

Just piscine all over team discipline tbh.

 

[pup11]

Right, even so, that's hardly a reason to send a player home.

If it was only about a small event like Symmo missing a team meeting because he was out fishing, then i don't think the team-management would have taken such a harsh step so there is definitely more to this, and not to forget he and Clarke are great mates, so if it was only such a minor incident i don't think he and other senior members of the squad would have taken such a bold decision.
....But even if this incident is the reason for Symonds being sent back home, then i believe his team-mates probably got fed up of his indisciplinary acts, so they just probably wanted to convey the message to him that any indiscipline from him wouldn't be tolerated anymore.

 

[Craig]

This thread was hook, line, and sinker for puns TBH.

Well that is as good as it gets for me

 

[Joe Ninety]

No doubt all would be forgiven if he announced that he'd found cod. There could be a sting in the tail of this story yet!

 

[Jnr.]

I've read what Michael Clarke has had to say about this and it seem like this "punishment" is a culmination of recent poor behaviour/discipline by Symonds.

 

[sensible]

This punishment seems quite apt, and I applaud Michael Clarke and the leadership group for making what must've been a very difficult decision. Clarke's comments following the match were excellent. If you aren't 100% committed to this team, you don't deserve to be playing in it. The Australian cricket team has very high standards and each of its players, regardless of their cricketing abilities, should meet them.

I am a huge fan of Symonds, but he has shown a complete lack of respect for not only his team mates and his national colours, but also the Bangladeshis. This isn't the first time he has treated them with a complete lack of respect either. Hopefully he will bounce back from this and prove that playing in the green and gold is more important to him than catching some bara'.

There is plenty of time to go fishing when you're retired, Andrew.

 

[Matt79]

A bit surprised at all the whaling and gnashing of teeth going on in this regard tbh. Team management only has a fin-ite amount of patience after all. Still, wouldn't have happened in Gilly's day.

 

[duffer]

Just when this thread was starting to flounder, Matt brings the resurrection.

 

[Xuhaib]

Despite Symond's absence it was smooth sailing for the Aussies.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Despite Symond's absence it was smooth sailing for the Aussies.

Hadn't seen that, thanks for the info.

 

[SJS]

Stand-in Australian captain Michael Clarke says the decision to drop Andrew Symonds was made with his best interests in mind.

Clarke several times insisted that the decision to stand Symonds down was not for any one indiscretion but rather the culmination of several instances that demonstrated the all-rounder was not fully committed to the cause.

"I guess the main concern for us is Andrew's commitment to playing for this team and in my opinion … you need to be committed 100 percent, and that's all facets of being an international cricketer," Clarke said following Australia's win over Bangladesh.

"And we believe, for the best interests of this team, for the best interests of Andrew Symonds, to have some time away from the game and let's try and get him right as soon as possible to have him back in our team."

Clarke added that he hopes Symonds will use his time back in Brisbane to do some thinking, recommit to his place in the team and return stronger than ever in time for the upcoming tour of India.

"Andrew was very disappointed but he accepts our decision and I know Andrew pretty well and I hope he goes away from this and gets himself right and gets himself back into our team because he's a very important player and we certainly want him part of our squad," he added.

"It's so hard to play for this team, in my opinion we are the greatest sporting team in the world, so we have standards and they might be higher than other teams but if you don't fulfil those standards, unfortunately you're not going to be a part of our squad."

"I hope he doesn't (take it personally) because Andrew and I are very good friends, Andrew's one of my best friends, closest mates, so it's certainly not personal and I guess that's why we've made this decision, because we want Andrew back in our team."

"We want Andrew part of the Australian team for as long as he wants to be a part but right now, for the best interests of the team, and for the best interests of my friend Andrew Symonds, I believe we've made the right decision."

Coach Tim Nielsen added that he was most disappointed that Symonds has not been as committed as he could be because Adam Gilchrist is not long retired and the likes of Ricky Ponting, Brett Lee and Matthew Hayden are all unavailable in Darwin.

"I certainly believe at the moment … when we've got such young impressionable faces in our team, we need to make sure our senior blokes are 100 percent spot on to the way they go about presenting themselves and that was an issue that wasn't being carried out with Andrew," Nielsen said.​

 

[social]

Stand-in Australian captain Michael Clarke says the decision to drop Andrew Symonds was made with his best interests in mind.

Clarke several times insisted that the decision to stand Symonds down was not for any one indiscretion but rather the culmination of several instances that demonstrated the all-rounder was not fully committed to the cause.

"I guess the main concern for us is Andrew's commitment to playing for this team and in my opinion … you need to be committed 100 percent, and that's all facets of being an international cricketer," Clarke said following Australia's win over Bangladesh.

"And we believe, for the best interests of this team, for the best interests of Andrew Symonds, to have some time away from the game and let's try and get him right as soon as possible to have him back in our team."

Clarke added that he hopes Symonds will use his time back in Brisbane to do some thinking, recommit to his place in the team and return stronger than ever in time for the upcoming tour of India.

"Andrew was very disappointed but he accepts our decision and I know Andrew pretty well and I hope he goes away from this and gets himself right and gets himself back into our team because he's a very important player and we certainly want him part of our squad," he added.

"It's so hard to play for this team, in my opinion we are the greatest sporting team in the world, so we have standards and they might be higher than other teams but if you don't fulfil those standards, unfortunately you're not going to be a part of our squad."

"I hope he doesn't (take it personally) because Andrew and I are very good friends, Andrew's one of my best friends, closest mates, so it's certainly not personal and I guess that's why we've made this decision, because we want Andrew back in our team."

"We want Andrew part of the Australian team for as long as he wants to be a part but right now, for the best interests of the team, and for the best interests of my friend Andrew Symonds, I believe we've made the right decision."

Coach Tim Nielsen added that he was most disappointed that Symonds has not been as committed as he could be because Adam Gilchrist is not long retired and the likes of Ricky Ponting, Brett Lee and Matthew Hayden are all unavailable in Darwin.

"I certainly believe at the moment … when we've got such young impressionable faces in our team, we need to make sure our senior blokes are 100 percent spot on to the way they go about presenting themselves and that was an issue that wasn't being carried out with Andrew," Nielsen said.​

What a load of crap!

How many of the guys who have been "presenting themselves" have dug Oz out of as many holes as Symonds has?

 

[Langeveldt]

The guy is a tool, thats a given, so I wouldn't be inclined to give him the benifit of any doubt

 

[silentstriker]

I think this is the type of thing that we in the subcontinent would oftentimes look over. Could you imagine the furore if one primma donna's was sent home for such a thing? I think this reflects well on CA though, that they enforce discipline and they won't tolerate players showing such disrespect. They expect every player to give their 100% no matter who the opponent or what the situation - and as part of that, you need to attend meetings and its your responsibility to know when and where those are (though not knowing the actual circumstances, it may not have been his fault). I actually feel for Symonds, but CA did the right thing. I wish more teams took such a hard line.

 

[andyc]

I think this is the type of thing that we in the subcontinent would oftentimes look over. Could you imagine the furore if one primma donna's was sent home for such a thing? I think this reflects well on CA though, that they enforce discipline and they won't tolerate players showing such disrespect. They expect every player to give their 100% no matter who the opponent or what the situation - and as part of that, you need to attend meetings and its your responsibility to know when and where those are (though not knowing the actual circumstances, it may not have been his fault). I actually feel for Symonds, but CA did the right thing. I wish more teams took such a hard line.

Completely AWTA.

 

[Sanz]

Unless there is something more to it than going out and getting pissed, so what?

He missed a meeting the day before a game, big deal!

I can just imagine what these rocket scientist were discussing

"Bowlers, get it in the right areas, blah, blah, blah"

Anyone in Darwin on a Thursday night with a game a couple of days away should be on the booze

At least show some consistency. If it were Harbhajan, you would have been giving your usual dose of Bible Preaching.

 

[Sanz]

What a load of crap!

How many of the guys who have been "presenting themselves" have dug Oz out of as many holes as Symonds has?

Ofcourse that means all of the Bull**** he has been crapping in last few years should go un-noticed.

 

[JimmyGS]

I waan't expecting to feel this way, but after reading the interview with Clarke I completely agree with the decision to send him home. I'm sure he'll come back a better player and team man because of it.