Symonds Decides To Throw In His Lot With Australia (12 Dec 1996)

12 December 1996

Symonds decides to throw in his lot with Australia

By Peter Deeley

ANDREW SYMONDS nailed his colours firmly and finally to the green and gold flag yesterday with the declaration: "I am an Aussie and always have been and I will play my cricket for Australia,".

By confirming that he would turn out for Australia A in a one-day representative game against West Indies in Melbourne tomorrow, the Gloucestershire batsman has severed the umbilical cord which once joined him to England, the land of his birth. He can now only return to county cricket as an overseas player - Courtney Walsh already fills that berth at Gloucestershire.

Clad in Australian Cricket Board clothing with insignias, Symonds pledged his loyalty to the country he moved to at the age of 18 months during an emotional announcement.

One England A player, on hearing the news, said: "Excellent. Now we know where we stand. Didn`t he say very much the same about being an Englishman not so long ago?"

Symonds appeared to accept fatalistically the ruling by the TCCB that if he appears on the field for Australia in Melbourne he must spend four years in the cricketing wilderness before being able to qualify again for England.

He said: "I love living in Australia. I love the life-style and I always will. The decision was not very tough for me because I have known in my heart I have always been an Aussie.

"Money to me isn`t everything - I would rather live in the country I love and have a good life style. How well I do is irrelevant. I want to have a good time basically. I am just rapped at being picked. This is a big step for me."

But he was still shrewd enough to leave open the possibility of a life-line back to England. "I wouldn`t say I have totally severed my links: perhaps some day I may be asked to play back there."

Graham Halbish, the ACB chief executive, commented: "I think everyone is quite comfortable that the decision has been taken in the best possible way, though obviously Gloucestershire will be disappointed. We are delighted he has decided to throw his lot in with us." He described his talks with the TCCB as "amicable".

David Graveney, the England A tour manager who is also general secretary of the Cricketers Association, said: "There is a moral and a legal argument here.

Legally he has a British passport - and I have no doubt that when I get back home next week I shall be occupied with that aspect. I simply do not know whether he has any kind of case concerning restraint of trade under European Union law.

"Morally, the argument has caused most problems with other players. Some were more extreme than others. Essex have been very militant on the matter.

"I am glad it has at least been clarified. It will obviously have an effect on Gloucestershire`s resources because he is a talented player who puts bums on seats. But sanity has prevailed and he can now get on with his career."

Source :: Electronic Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk)