Symonds wants a chance to lead

Andrew Symonds says he now thinks about the game far more than in the past © Getty Images Enlarge

Andrew Symonds has put himself forward as a potential one-day captain for Australia but he concedes with several other contenders in line behind Ricky Ponting his chances of achieving the goal are slim. Michael Clarke will take the reins for Australia's Twenty20 match against New Zealand on Tuesday and the move prompted Symonds to volunteer himself for a similar role if it became available.

"I would love to get the chance to captain the Australian one-day team," Symonds wrote in his column in the Sunday Mail. "I didn't realise the plan the selectors had for the Twenty20 side so I didn't put my hand up for the captaincy. Realistically, I'd be very surprised if I ever got the chance to lead my country.

"If Punter or Adam Gilchrist aren't around, then the captaincy will most likely go to 'Pup' Clarke or Mike Hussey. But it would be nice to be in the picture somewhere down the track."

Clarke, 26, is being mentioned as a likely long-term successor to Ponting, however Gilchrist said that was no certainty despite his Twenty20 promotion. The captaincy aspirations of Symonds, 32, might be dented because he is the same age as Ponting and Hussey, but he said if the opportunity came along he would be ready.

"In the past few years I believe I've come a long way as a player and person," Symonds said. "Tactically, I find myself thinking about the game a lot more. I try to summarise the game in small segments.

"On the field, I think about what I'd do in certain situations and how I'd handle them if I had the final say. I regularly talk to 'Punter' Ponting and enjoy offering the odd bit of advice out in the middle."

However, Symonds said he was pleased that Clarke was being given a chance to lead. "When the time is right," Symonds wrote, "I think he'll be the ideal successor to Ricky Ponting as captain of the Test side."