Cricket Australia did all they could for Symonds: Ponting
By ANIFriday, June 5, 2009
LONDON - Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting believes Cricket Australia officials did all they could for Andrew Symonds before banishing the wayward all-rounder from the World Twenty20 squad over another alcohol-related incident.
“We gave him the appropriate amount of time, he’d done everything that was required of him, and unfortunately for him and for us, he’s come back in and this has happened again,” Fox Sports quoted Ponting, as saying.
“He’s been given plenty of opportunity, that’s for sure,” Ponting added.
Victorian leg spinner-batsman Cameron White has been drafted into the squad as a replacement.
Symonds, left out of the squad to contest the Ashes from next month, was ordered home from England just two days before he was expected to take part in Australia’s opening World Twenty20 match against the West Indies.
Cricket Australia would reveal only that Symonds had breached team rules relating to alcohol and other issues, while Ponting said the 33-year-old Queenslander had broken commitments made “to himself and to the team”.
“I don’t think Cricket Australia could have done any more for him to tell you the truth,” Ponting said.
“He’d been stood down on a number of occasions, he’s been working on some processes off the field over the last 12 or 18 months to make himself better in different aspects of his life,” Ponting added. (ANI)
