Sydney, Apr 9 (ANI): Cricket Australia's chief selector Andrew Hilditch has asked troubled all rounder Andrew Symonds to perform or perish during the limited-overs series against Pakistan to be played in United Arab Emirates from April 22.
Having convinced Cricket Australia he has overcome the behavioural issues, Symonds has been granted one more chance to restore the selectors' confidence after Hilditch admitted the Queenslander had been chosen largely based on past heroics.
"He's obviously not performed domestically as well as we or he would have liked, so we really had to make a decision on giving him an opportunity to see how he was going or not prior to the Twenty20 [world championships in June]," Hilditch said.
"We thought it was the right way to go but, as I've told Andrew, it will be up to him from now on. He's going to have to perform," The Sydney Morning Herald quoted him, as saying.
"We think after everything he's done for Australian cricket, one of our all-time best one-day players, that he deserves this opportunity. But it will be up to him now to seize that chance," Hilditch added.
Symonds and Brett Lee were the big inclusions in a squad chosen with the Ashes series in mind, and therefore giving rest to Ricky Ponting, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson and Peter Siddle.
Ponting welcomed Symonds' inclusion in the squad, saying: "He's a very important player in our overall set-up. Yes, he is working through his fair share of issues and everything. But once he gets back around us then I'm sure that he'll have an impact on our team with his on-field performances." (ANI)
Having convinced Cricket Australia he has overcome the behavioural issues, Symonds has been granted one more chance to restore the selectors' confidence after Hilditch admitted the Queenslander had been chosen largely based on past heroics.
"He's obviously not performed domestically as well as we or he would have liked, so we really had to make a decision on giving him an opportunity to see how he was going or not prior to the Twenty20 [world championships in June]," Hilditch said.
"We thought it was the right way to go but, as I've told Andrew, it will be up to him from now on. He's going to have to perform," The Sydney Morning Herald quoted him, as saying.
"We think after everything he's done for Australian cricket, one of our all-time best one-day players, that he deserves this opportunity. But it will be up to him now to seize that chance," Hilditch added.
Symonds and Brett Lee were the big inclusions in a squad chosen with the Ashes series in mind, and therefore giving rest to Ricky Ponting, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson and Peter Siddle.
Ponting welcomed Symonds' inclusion in the squad, saying: "He's a very important player in our overall set-up. Yes, he is working through his fair share of issues and everything. But once he gets back around us then I'm sure that he'll have an impact on our team with his on-field performances." (ANI)
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