Andrew Symonds sent packing home for drinking problem, to miss World Twenty20

According to Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland, the 33-year-old Symonds will sit out from the ICC World Twenty20 tournament, which is taking place in England as he had committed a series of misdemeanors which, though "not serious" in isolation, "are enough for it to be the final straw in the scheme of things, in the scheme of history."

"We have stood Andrew down from the World Twenty20 championship. The decision was made by the Cricket Australia board following a recommendation from our management. The recommendation from the management was made following a recommendation from the leadership group, which was unanimous in recommending this course of action," Sutherland said.

Sources close to the development said the gifted yet temperamental player was sent packing home as he breached the team's disciplinary rules on alcohol. "Symonds was punished for drinking while watching the opening State of Origin rugby league game between Queensland and New South Wales, which his home state won 28-18 on Wednesday," the source said.

"It seems to be more about him breaking promises he made than the amount of beer he consumed. Part of Australia's strength, it seems to me, is that their players are expected to be highly committed and motivated to play for their country," the source added.

"Andrew has had his fair share of challenges recently and Cricket Australia has tried to support him. But it's a constant balancing act and has gone too far today. Andrew is disappointed and upset but there shouldn't be any surprise by what's happened," Sutherland said.

Sutherland also said that Cricket Australia will continue to offer Symonds support, but suggested that his new 12-month contract, which is due to come into effect on July 1, would be reviewed and could be withdrawn. The all-rounder was told that he would only be considered for future Australian sides if he submitted to regular counseling, and abided by the agreement with CA which prohibited him from drinking in public.

Sutherland also said he did not regret giving Symonds a number of chances.

"We've relied on experts who've been working very closely with Andrew," he said. "I don't have any regrets about the approach that Cricket Australia has taken and I don't have any regrets about my support for Andrew along the way. We are where we are and we're moving forward from here."

According to Cricket Australia spokesman, Peter Young, Symonds' latest indiscretion "itself was not major and if it had been any other player it would have been a disciplinary issue that would have happened and the world would have moved on without a hiccup."

But "He's in breach of contract and the disciplinary action is that we've stood him down and brought him home. Broadly speaking, he broke team rules. He broke team rules by going out when he wasn't suppose to, by leaving the hotel without advising where he had gone, all of that is in breach of team rules," Young said, adding that CA's decision was taken in the context of Symonds' previous behavior.

"The concern we had is that it comes out of a long series of indiscretions and it was in breach of some very specific commitments he made before we approved that he undertake this tour to England," he said.

Meanwhile, the Ricky Pointing-led team, which face West Indies at the Oval on Saturday in the first match of their tournament, made a last minute call to Cameron White as a replacement for Symonds.

Symonds' absence robs Australia of one of the world's leading Twenty20 players. A hard hitting batsman, brilliant fielder and a bowler capable of both medium pace and spin, Symonds, who has figured in 198 ODIs and 26 Tests for Australia, averaging about 40 in both forms of the game, ought to be a captain's dream in this format.

However, Australia is no stranger to last minute withdrawals. On the eve of 2003 World Cup, star leg spinner Shane Warne was sent packing home for a doping offence but the team went on to win the title in South Africa at a canter.

According to team captain Ricky Ponting, Symonds proved to be a "big disappointment" and he has not only let himself down, but also "all his team-mates down and Cricket Australia down."

"He had set down some guidelines for himself and he has broken them repeatedly now. I'm not going to list the team rules, but there were several breaches," Ponting said.

"It probably throws the balance a little bit in our side but the beauty of our side is that there is a lot of flexibility within the group," he said.

"Hopefully we don't miss a beat from here," the Tasmanian, who remains one of the world's best batsmen in all forms of the game, said. "It's no good thinking about what we might miss. It's all about moving on and moving forward and putting our best foot forward on Saturday."

Agrees fast bowler Brett Lee, who is expected to spearhead the Aussie attack. "He's a world-class player and to leave a gap like that is not great for the Australian team but we always find a way to fill a void," Lee said.

However, Michael Hussey feels the loss of Symonds could affect the performance of the team. "It certainly is a big loss," said Hussey. "With Twenty20 cricket you've got to be really flexible with your batting orderwith Andrew Symonds in the team we were a little bit more structuredNow we're going to have to be even more flexible and try and go with the flow of the game," Hussey said.

Meanwhile, White said it was disappointing for the team that things panned out this way. "All I can do is seize the opportunity, hopefully get a game and do my best to help Australia win the tournament," he said.

Paul Marsh, CEO, Australian Cricketers' Association, said Symonds' exit was "a sad day for Andrew and a sad day for Australian cricket."

"His history has caught up with him. He has definitely taken on restrictions that other players have not, but he knew that if he wanted to play for Australia again, he had to operate under certain guidelines," Marsh said.

However, "Whatever he decides, he will have our full backing and support," he added.