Symonds sent home for ‘alcohol-related’ incident by CricketArchive Staff Reporter

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Player:	A Symonds
Event:	ICC World Twenty20 2009

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DateLine: 4th June 2009

 

Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds has been sent home from the ICC World Twenty20 for an "alcohol-related incident".

 

"The final straw" according CA's chief executive James Sutherland, came when Symonds broke team rules related to alcohol. Captain Ricky Ponting is due to address the media in London later.

 

Symonds attended a PCA dinner with the Twenty20 squad at a Kensington hotel on Wednesday night, but was a notable absentee at Australia's training session at The Oval on Thursday, prompting speculation that he was on his way home.

 

He has been on the wrong side of the court for the past 12 months and his inclusion this time was on a final warning from Cricket Australia, and there is the strong possibility that this latest incident will lead to the withdrawal of his central contract, which Sutherland admitted was "under review".

 

Sutherland said at a press conference in Melbourne that Symonds had broken a number of rules "in the last 24-48 hours" and CA were now organising flights to get him back to Australia.

 

"In isolation, the breaches that I am talking about are not serious, but in the scheme of things, in the scheme of history, they are enough for it to be the final straw. I'm disappointed in Andrew, but I'm also disappointed for Andrew. I'm sad about it."

 

Symonds has been involved in numerous off-field incidents in recent seasons, most notably the Darwin fishing saga in August 2008, during which he missed a team meeting ahead of the one-day series against Bangladesh, which prompted the team management to send him home from the series.

 

He was also fined 4000 Australian dollars for a drunken radio interview in January 2009 in which he referred to the New Zealand wicketkeeper Brendan McCullum as "a piece of s..."

 

Symonds had then apologised and admitted that alcohol was playing a big part in his life and he subsequently stated that he was "entering the final chapter of his career".