- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Andrew Symonds is struggling to see the funny side now but he’s waiting for the jokes to come thick and fast when he attends his first Australian team meeting in 10 weeks.
That may occur as soon as tomorrow when he’s reunited with Test teammates in the one-off Twenty20 exhibition match under lights at the Gabba.
Symonds will line up with five fellow members of the 13-man Test squad when Australia takes on the Adam Gilchrist-led ACA All Stars, which also includes Test opener Simon Katich.
It will be his first match back in Australian colours since being dumped from the Top End one-day series against Bangladesh in early September.
Symonds was sent packing and forced to complete a rehabilitation program after missing a team meeting in order to go fishing, the last of a number of minor misdemeanours.
Asked whether he expected to be the subject of jibes at his return team meeting, Symonds today smiled and said: “Probably, I haven’t seen the funny side of it so much any more though.”
Tomorrow night’s clash sees him playing alongside fellow all-rounder Shane Watson when the two may be competing for the same position in the Test side.
But Symonds is grateful largely for the chance to be eased back into the international arena.
“I’ve been lucky to be granted that and it will be a nice easy (return) hopefully,” he said.
“It will be good to see a few of the old heads and catch up with a few old mates. It should be a good night.”
Mike Hussey will lead the Australian team after Ricky Ponting was rested and stand-in skipper Michael Clarke withdrew today due to the virus that laid him low during the last Test in India.
Tasmanian spinner Xavier Doherty has been rewarded for his fine limited-overs form with a call-up while Victorian all-rounder Andrew McDonald has replaced injured Queenslander Ashley Noffke in the All Stars line-up.
“It is really surprising but I am very excited by the opportunity I have been given,” Doherty said.
“Last night was a bit like Christmas Eve, I had a lot of trouble sleeping and tomorrow should be great.”
Retired Test opener Justin Langer, who played against the Australian one-day team in the mid-1990s as a member of the popular Australia A team, will join Gilchrist at the top of the order.
While he’s looking forward to mixing it verbally with former partner Matthew Hayden, Langer admitted he wasn’t so keen to be facing up to sling king Shaun Tait on a fast Gabba wicket.
AUSTRALIA: Mike Hussey (capt), Matthew Hayden, Shaun Marsh, David Hussey, Andrew Symonds, Shane Watson, Brad Haddin, Cameron White, Brett Geeves, Peter Siddle, Shaun Tait, Xavier Doherty (12th man to be named).
ALL STARS: Adam Gilchrist (capt), Justin Langer, Rob Quiney, Michael Dighton, Brad Hodge, Simon Katich, Dan Marsh, Andrew McDonald, Ryan Harris, Steve Magoffin, Dan Cullen, Brendan Drew (12th man to be named).
Build your own fantasy cricket team and put it to the test with Draftstars daily fantasy competitions. Pick your match, pick your team and watch the points roll in to take out cash prizes on each match. What are you really gambling with? Set a deposit limit.