THROWING out a line up north must be very tempting for discarded Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds right now. Certainly cricket isn't doing it for him at the moment.

Symonds may have returned to the cricket fold after being dumped from the national squad over the "gone fishing" controversy in Darwin - but the big-hitting match-winner of old is still missing. Symonds looked hopelessly out of touch when he failed again with the bat for the Queensland Bulls in their day-night clash with Tasmania at the Gabba yesterday. He was out for a six-ball duck after tamely lobbing spinner Xavier Doherty to Dane Anderson at mid-on.

It was typical of a disappointing Bulls batting effort yesterday, Queensland bowled out for 205 in the 48th over. Opener Clinton Perren top scored with 49 for Queensland, leapfrogging Matthew Hayden to become the second highest one-day run scorer for Queensland behind only former skipper Jimmy Maher.

But just when he looked set to build a big total, his mistimed pull shot off Brendan Drew (2-54) was caught one-handed by skipper Dan Marsh as the Bulls lost 3-18 to be reduced to 6-122 in the 31st over.

Symonds appears to have hit rock bottom since returning from the Top End. He has amassed just 27 runs from eight innings - an average of 3.4 - for Queensland after the Darwin debacle. Signs were ominous from the outset for Symonds when his leading edge from the first ball he faced bounced just short of a Tigers fielder.

Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland made it clear Symonds could force his way into Australia's opening Test of the summer against New Zealand in Brisbane - if he let his bat do the talking. But Symonds would be flat out justifying his place in the Queensland team on present form. Symonds made all the right noises at a press conference on his return to Queensland, stressing how he wanted to become a better person.
But he still appears to be shrugging off the effects of a turbulent period which also featured the traumatic Harbhajan Singh racial row. He has two Shield games before Australia's first Test against New Zealand starts at the Gabba on November 20.

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

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