'I need a free spirit sort of attitude' - Symonds

With his hulking frame and that rare ability to belt the cover off a ball, Andrew Symonds doesn't look like the sort of character to suffer from insecurity. After all, he's played 154 one-day internationals over the course of an eight-year career, and was an integral member of the 2003 World Cup-winning side. But when it comes to Tests, he just can't get it right. In ten attempts, he averages 19.06 with the bat and 45.44 with the ball, and admitted today that his selection for the third Test squad at Perth took him completely by surprise.

"I was really shocked. In the last few weeks, I've been trying too hard, but then I got the call-up," said Symonds, who was dropped at the end of the South Africa tour in April after managing just two fifties and a three-wicket haul in eight consecutive Tests against West Indies and South Africa. "I had the baggy green out a few days ago and I looked at it and smelt it and wondered if I'll ever wear this again. And I suppose now I'm a couple of days away from finding out. I'm pretty excited."

Symonds famously flirted with England selection in the 1990s - a fact he was none too pleased to be reminded of today - but as he said at the time, he's a fair-dinkum Aussie and his love for his baggy green is all the proof he could ever need. "I love the smell of it," he said. "It smells of sweat and beer." He loves it so much, in fact, that he wore it throughout Australia's training session at the WACA this morning. "The boys were ribbing me a bit," he said, "but I said I might not get a chance to wear it again. I'll be wearing it whether I'm playing or not for the next couple of days."

The inability to translate one-day form into the Test arena is not a unique problem, but Symonds is one of the game's most high-profile and talented sufferers. "You are just so keen to do well," he said. "It's sometimes hard to say 'bugger it, I'll go out and play'. You're not playing backyard cricket, you're playing for Australia and so it's not necessarily that simple. You have to learn your game, and learn your psyche on how you play your game.

"Just this morning I was in the bathroom putting sun-cream on, and the coach said: 'I want you to play freely'. That's what I need - a free spirit sort of attitude. Don't worry about results. Results look after themselves if you just go out there to enjoy yourself."

It's ironic really, because Symonds has rarely been accused of being anything other than a free spirit. He was famously dropped ahead of Australia's defeat against Bangladesh at Cardiff last year after an all-night bender which ended at 8am and culminated in him falling off a wheelie-bin during the squad's pre-match warm-up. Now, however, it is exactly that sort of attitude that he now needs to fall back on, if and when he gets his opportunity at Perth from Thursday.

"My mindset is that I need to be a little more carefree with my intensity," Symonds said. "I guess the hype and the build-up [to a Test] is a bit more intense, and I probably tried a little too hard last year and ended up clamping up for whatever reason. I have to be careful with how I approach it. I play my best cricket when I'm not thinking too hard. I just watch the ball and hit it. Whether I play the one-day way or the Test way is irrelevant. I've got to find the way that suits me best."

Andrew Flintoff would doubtless agree with such an attitude. He and Symonds briefly played together at Lancashire and are kindred spirits in more ways than one. "The conversations me and Freddie tend to have aren't about cricket," Symonds joked. "But watching him, you can see from his successes that he's probably a similar type of player. He's instinctive. It's about training hard and then going out there to react."

Regardless of how hard Symonds tries to loosen up this week, there is one aspect of the Perth Test that is sure to create a new knot in his stomach. Australia are just one win away from regaining the Ashes. "You can't help but think about it can you?" he said. "The coach addressed us [about that] this morning. It's a big part of all our lives, but if you look at it like that, does it become a distraction?

"It's okay to think about it, but we've just got to keep our minds on the job. The feeling in the dressing room is very positive. I'd much rather be in our rooms than theirs. Coming from behind is very hard, and there's not that intensity of 'must win, must win'."

Life, by all accounts, has been pretty relaxed in the Australian camp since the Adelaide Test. The squad enjoyed a barbecue at Justin Langer's place last night, which was an opportunity to get to know the team's newest squad member, Adam Voges. "We had a couple of beers, and he's an easy-going sort of a bloke."

But, Symonds said, the abrupt retirement of Damien Martyn had left "a bit of a void" in the team. "He's one of these blokes whose character slips in and out of the day. He'd come out with a little one-liner that's quite funny. He'll be missed. But we just hope he's happy because we haven't had much contact with him. It was a shock, but that's Marto as well. We just hope he's taking it easy."

Australia's fans will hope that Symonds takes it easy this week as well. That way, his true Test character might finally be able to shine through.