Tuesday, September 2, 2008

IPL doors open for Roy....

Andrew Symonds, who is considering his options after being left out of Australia's squad for the Bangladesh ODIs on disciplinary grounds, is free to re-join the Deccan Chargers in 2009, according to the IPL team's new CEO, Tim Wright.

"The Deccan Chargers will - as will any IPL team - want Andrew Symonds in from the very first ball of the competition to the very last ball,'' Wright told AAP. "He will strengthen any Indian Premier League team by his presence.''

Wright said it was important Symonds "was enjoying his cricket", whether while playing for the Australian team or for Deccan, adding that he would "absolutely not" try and encourage him to end his international career.

"From an entirely personal point of view, I'd like to see Symonds help Deccan win the IPL and I'd like to see him star in an Ashes series against England in 2009," Wright said.

Wright stressed that the IPL was not looking to go one-up on Tests and ODIs. "The IPL doesn't stand alone. It's part of the world game, run through the auspices of the BCCI, which is part of the ICC. All of our players play within the structure of cricket, if they choose to."

Earlier this year, Symonds became the IPL's second-most expensive player when he was bought by Deccan for a three-year deal worth US$1.35 million annually. Symonds, though, only played four games for them before flying out to join the Australian team for their tour of the West Indies. He was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise poor campaign for Deccan, which eventually finished last, scoring 161 runs at 80.50 including a century against the Rajasthan Royals.

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