Andrew Symonds may have had his Cricket Australia contract handed to Shaun Tait, but he looks set to earn more than its value as a Twenty20 freelancer.

Symonds, of course, is already a key part of the Deccan Chargers squad in the IPL, and the Highveld Lions are also reportedly interested in signing him up for the South African competition. If he was to take part in four domestic competitions (the Big Bash in Australia, the South African competition, the IPL and English cricket's revamped...

Yesterday, Andrew Symonds was removed from the Australian Twenty20 World Championship squad in disgrace. This followed what Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland described as a "24-48 hour period where he breached numerous team rules". This period included Symonds breaching an alcohol ban to have a few drinks while watching the first State of Origin match with friends in London, and taking leave from the team hotel unannounced to coach, captain or management team. The recommendation for...

Roy Symonds has been left out of the 16-man Aussie squad for the Ashes, suggesting his career of 26 Test matches may be over.

Selectors instead opted to gamble on the fitness of Shane Watson, who is still recovering from a groin stain, and retain Ronald McDonald as, presumably, the backup all-rounder.

There weren't many other surprises in the squad. Nathan Hauritz, the sole centrally contracted spinner, is the only tweaker on the list - despite suggestions that Cardiff's...

(Originally posted on The Match Referee)

Coming back from a very enjoyable Easter break, and with no sign of K Rudd's $900 charity handouts, I and many with whom I holidayed find ourselves sheepishly checking our credit card statements to assess the overall damage. In fact, every invoice is being meticulously audited to find discrepancies which we can use to recover every possible dollar, by means fair or foul. While in this dark mood, I read this about our good friend Andrew Symonds....

Andrew Symonds' recall by Australia (or at least, his inclusion in the prelimary squad for this summer's World Twenty20) reportedly follows a period when the "troubled star" has undergone counselling to 'work through' some 'issues'.

With the upcoming series against Pakistan in the UAE relatively likely to see a number of established Aussie names take a rest, Symonds is likely to get a chance to re-establish himself in the side. His influence as a player means that whatever...