Symonds Past Comes Back To Bite Him

Australia announced their squad for the Ashes this week, and their was one major omission that caught every one's eye.

Andrew Symonds, the troublesome all-rounder, has been left out despite getting publicly backed by Ricky Ponting the day before. Whatever his past failings, Symonds is a devastating batter who has experience of an Ashes contest. He is also a useful back-up spin bowler who can either hold up one end or turn a few to unsettle batters. Since we are all expecting turning pitches this summer I'm surprised that the Aussies have not included a player who could be a real bonus. Most importantly, the Australian batting line-up doesn't look quite as strong without him.

Phillip Hughes will be confident after scoring a bagful of runs for Middlesex in a short stint that helped him to acclimatise to English conditions. Middlesex got a fair bit of stick for giving Hughes the opportunity, and now Gloucestershire are trying to bring Stuart Clark over on a short term deal before the Ashes starts.

Before the Ashes starts though, we have loads of one-day and Twenty20 games to play. Too many for my liking, but it may be a good build-up for the Ashes. The main worry during these economic times is that fans will make a decision as to which games they can afford to attend and we will see empty grounds for many of the games of the World Twenty20.

Lets all make sure that the Ashes are sold out, to prove that Test cricket is still the most important form of the game.