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Untitled Document
 Symonds wants to play on Sunday
16th Mar 2007 07:51 IST
Agencies
Andrew Symonds' fast forward mode to recovery from a World Cup threatening injury is almost complete and the all-rounder is eager to join the Australian ranks in their match against the Netherlands on Sunday.
But skipper, Ricky Ponting, is unlikely to risk his key war horse in the league game against the minnows, and would rather ease him through the paces for vital World Cup matches.
"He (Symonds) was saying on the bus he was ready to play today. But if you know what Symmo is like, he would play with one arm if he could," Ponting said after Australia's 203-run win over Scotland.
"We can't afford to take him into that game if he's only 75 to 80 per cent fit, in case he hurts himself again. There's been a well thought out process to get him back to where he is now, so we've just got to make sure he ticks all those boxes," Ponting was quoted as saying in The Age.
Six weeks ago Symonds was in the danger of missing the Caribbean action after tearing the biceps in his right arm. If at all he plays on Sunday, the Queenslander would not move his arm and would only bat.
"He would play with one arm if he could, but he's getting seriously close," Ponting said.
"There will be some discussion about him playing against the Netherlands, because he's rolling his arm over and doing a fair bit of throwing, and he's comfortable with his batting. The next few days are crucial if he's going to play against Holland."
"We probably could play him as just a batsman, but he's still got to field. There's nowhere to hide in a one-day international, and the last thing we want is for him to hurt himself again," Ponting said. |
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