Symonds wants to repay supporters

Andrew Symonds hopes to repay the faith in those who supported him after he was suspended for arriving drunk to play Bangladesh on the Ashes tour last winter. The actions of Symonds, who was banned for two matches for the Cardiff incident, angered Ricky Ponting and he flirted with the idea of sending him home.

Five months later Symonds is in contention to play his third Test - his first at home - after he was named in the 12-man squad to face West Indies at Hobart starting on Thursday. Symonds sealed his spot with 163 for Queensland in a Pura Cup match last week and said the drinking incident was finished. "That was done and dealt with and hopefully I can repay some people with some runs in the Test," Symonds said in The Courier-Mail.

Symonds has vowed to maintain his attacking mindset and he will also provide a mixture of offspin and medium pace, including a new outswinger, if picked as an immediate replacement for the injured Shane Watson. "As soon as you start trying to change things you get away from your natural game and you can run into trouble. I'll just bat how I bat," Symonds told the paper. "They pick you from state sides to play for your country how you play for your state."

While Symonds was selected along with Brad Hodge, Simon Katich was determined to grab back his place after being dropped following a run of low scores in the Tests against West Indies and the World XI. "I am disappointed but I understand the nature of the game," he said in the Daily Telegraph. "I look forward to going back to NSW and scoring lots of runs and from there get back into the team."

The changes mean Hodge is almost certain of walking out for his first Test after touring with the squad for the past year. "With the make-up of the side it probably gives me a better chance of playing," Hodge told The Age. "It would be nice to get that monkey off the back and receive the baggy green and then just concentrate on making some runs. In the past I've always been concerned about getting selected. This time it sort of feels like I've got a real good chance of playing."