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NEWS Cricket World Cup 2007>The importance of Andrew Symonds 05th Feb 2007 23.18 IST By Manish Kumar It is not without reason that the whole of Australia is worried about the fitness of Andrew Symonds just prior to the 2007 Cricket World Cup extravaganza in the Caribbean. Symonds is in doubt for the World Cup due to a bicep tear, which has ruled him out of the rest of the One Day Tri-Series and former Aussie captain Ian Chappell has rightly said that Symonds' injury can negate Aussie edge in World Cup.
And it is also not without reason that Australian captain Ricky Thomas Ponting wants an even injured Symonds to be picked for the World Cup for which the Aussies are the favourites to win. Symonds’ hard-hitting coupled with his off-spin or medium pace, make him a good all-rounder. Not only that, Symonds is such an outstanding fielder that since the last World Cup in 2003, he had effected the most number of run-outs in ODI cricket of any fieldsman, with the fourth highest success rate. Symonds is very agile for his size and weight (medium-heavy build and 187cm tall (6'2"), has excellent reflexes, is able to take catches well and has a powerful and accurate throwing arm. Since making his debut for the Queensland state team in the 1994-1995 season, Symonds has scored over 10,000 runs in first-class cricket. Symonds made his One-day International debut for Australia in 1998. He opted to represent Australia over both England (his country of birth) and West Indies (through his parents). As an ODI player, Symonds is known for scoring runs at an excellent strike rate of over 90, with a highest score of 156. Symonds cemented his place in the team in Australia's opening match of the 2003 Cricket World Cup, where he scored an unbeaten 143 against Pakistan to guide Australia from 86/4 to 310/8 It was Ponting's recommendation that earned Symonds a shock selection for the 2003 World Cup -- and it proved to be a masterstroke, as the all-rounder was a key player in Australia's victory. Symonds has the fifth highest score in the history of the Twenty20 Cup hitting a 43-ball 112 for Kent Spitfires against Middlesex Crusaders on July 2nd, 2004. Also View In-Depth Coverage: Cricket World Cup 2007 Team Page: Australia Team Page: West Indies | LIVE CRICKET COVERAGE NEWS ~ Gilchrist has no plans to retire after World Cup ~ Ganguly's new batting approach may cost him sixer record ~ India 'squash the Orange' in World Cup warm-up game ~ Symonds gets a new hairdo for World Cup ~ Dhoni readies himself for stand-up act at World Cup (more in NEWS) FACE-TO-FACE ~ 500-mark a possibility in World Cup: Hayden ~ Minnows add charm to World Cup: Dravid (more in FACE-TO-FACE) COLUMNS ~ Will Sri Lanka replicate 1996 World Cup success? (more in COLUMNS) OFF-THE-FIELD ~ Ganguly again the darling of corporate world ~ Ganguly roped in as brand ambassador of Puma (more in OFF-THE-FIELD) PLAYERS Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble (more PLAYERS) TEAMS India, South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia, West Indies, Zimbabwe, England, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Kenya, Holland | 
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