Lalit Modi, Commissioner of the Indian Premier Cricket League has told Symonds that he would be well advised to stay on and continue to play live cricket for the Australian team. Modi has indicated that the IPL teams are not required to be made up of retired has-beens.

So once again the poster boy of cricket controversies, Andrew Symonds is in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Arguably, one of the best all-rounders today in international cricket, he is also one if it’s most controversial. Again, rather than live cricket it is action off the field that Symonds is in the news for: while the other Australian players were attending a meeting in Darwin, the controversial Queenslander chose to go fishing instead of joining his team mates. So it was that the live cricket action between Bangladesh and Australia was missing one of the star players.

International cricket being what it is repercussions of an action such as this one has far reaching consequences, and this action of Symonds may well lead to his exclusion from the team of players to tour India shortly. In the event, Lalit Modi, Commissioner of the Indian Permier League has told Symonds that he would be well advised to stay on and continue to play live cricket for the Australian team. Modi has indicated that the IPL teams are not required to be made up of retired has-beens.

It does not matter that Symonds is the highest paid foreign players in the IPL, Modi told the Sydney Morning Herald, "I would advise him to stay on with his country," and that “We need players who are playing international cricket. We don't need a whole bunch of retired cricketers in the tournament."

Modi has indicated that the fact that Symonds is playing international cricket representing his country is part of his appeal and he should therefore continue to do so in his own interests as well as those of the IPL. Although there are many players who are retired from international cricket playing in the IPL, such as Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Stephen Fleming, Modi obviously does want a fair representation of present international players.

Besides this is the fact that Cricket Australia as well as the players of the Australian team wants Symonds to be part of the team. The man can, after all make a very substantial contribution to live cricket being played by whichever team that he is part of, and turn the match around single handedly. Modi however thinks he is more of an asset to IPL when he is also playing for Australia as part of their national team.

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3.25 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."

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