How many chances should a player like Symonds get?

Evan says:

11:50pm | 04/06/09

How many ? I don’t know - how many chances has he had now ? and yet he continues to break the agreements he has with CA, no more chances let him go and let someone else have a go

Michael says:

12:48am | 05/06/09

It’s certainly true that he is one of the most entertaining cricketers to take the field in the canary yellow since Allan Border standing on the balcony of the pavilion drinking a VB but CA has to take a stand, you can give a player more and more rope but Symonds is always going to hang himself over it. If CA didn’t kick him off the tour, the media would have got wind of it and we would have a nice little storm in a teacup, now it is just everyone nodding their heads knowlingly a few people saying I told you so.

If only we could replace him on the touring side with Matthew Hayden, give the T20 team a real boost.

Mark B says:

06:54am | 05/06/09

Where was the ACB support for Roy when the racial taunts were happening?

No wonder the bloke has hit the bottle…their handling of that fiasco was an absolute disgrace.

ACB lost me when they failed to support Roy adequately over that circus.

Go fishing Roy, you have nothing to prove mate!

See you on a fishing show soon.

Mark. B

Jason Mc says:

07:50am | 05/06/09

Gees - if we followed todays rules we would never have had Rod Marsh, Doug Walters, Gary Gilmour , Kerry O’Keeffe or David Boon.

Sport and the Media need to lighten up. And stop this “role model” crap.  Anyone who needs a role model to live their own life should simply p### off.

Alan says:

07:58am | 05/06/09

Roy was old school and should have gone when Hayden, Gilchrist and McGrath retired. On ya bike!

Terrance Philpotts says:

08:11am | 05/06/09

It is about time! he should retire.

For years we have been putting up with his brilliant fielding, destructive batting and menacing bowling… Every cricket fan here is stoked that this talent has been destroyed!

Go England!

Doug says:

08:34am | 05/06/09

Was I the only one bemused by Ponting crying crocodile tears over Roy, while wearing his VB baseball cap? Apparently it was nothing serious. Apparently, like a million other Queenslanders, he was having a beer watching State of Origin. You start wondering whether Cricket Australia is looking for any reason at all to keep him out of the team. He was our star Test batsman on form when they dropped him for ‘other’ reasons. He is an IPL star and has been delivering for the one day side recently. And was not out in our latest win. It seems that schoolboys in short pants, drinking only milk yet dutifully wearing their VB merchandise, have taken over the game. No room for Matt the Batt. Or Roy. Or Gilly. Or a couple of others. I think I’d much rather watch the Retired Aussie XI than the boring prats we are being told to watch. CA is digging its own grave.

jonathan says:

08:38am | 05/06/09

get rid of this buffoon!!!

CA has had numerous opportunities to set an example and yet each time they put sporting glory ahead of doing the right thing

There are numerous talented young cricketers dying for the opportunity to represent their country who are being denied by this delinquent

Equally as amazing to me is that people continue to support him and, in true Australian fashion, shift reponsibilty for his antics onto someone else

Aza says:

10:35am | 05/06/09

Bye Bye Roy…..

If I had half of his talents, and just a fifth of his opportunities, I would treasure my Baggy Green/VB baseball cap. Nothing would break my love for the game and I also reckon I would tow the CA(Iron Fisted, sell-me-out-to-save-your-face) line. Despite being a former ‘loose’ unit on the sauce playing Rugby and Cricket, I think that at 31 I would be seeing the bigger picture here. At 33, if your attitude is poor well then you are in serious froth and bubble pal. Thanks for the memories Roy, see you at the SCG playing in front of 8 ‘members’ for the Shield.

Julie Coker-Godson says:

02:30pm | 05/06/09

How many chances should Symonds get?  Well, at least as many as Shane Warne was given for doing a whole lot worse!  What’s wrong with having a drink while watching State of Origin - geeze, lighten up CA.  With regards to Ponting’s comments, I think he should remember where he’s been in the past and keep absolutely quiet!  I think this is a knee-jerk reaction that they will come to regret in time.

ian sand says:

09:22am | 07/06/09

Symonds could pretty much win a match single handed on his day.  A devastating batsman.  An extraordinary fielder.  An adequate bowler.  We sure as hell don’t want people like that in the team.

Sport is for sportspeople and fans.  It is not for the officials.  Where officialdom clashes with the talent the officials should give way. 

Whatever Symonds did was not illegal.  It did not interfere with his on field performance.  It did transgress some blimpish old fart’s perception of the sort of things we don’t do.  If these rules applied in the Chappel/Marsh/Lillee days none of them would have played more than about 6 matches, and Australian cricket would be poorer for it.