Obviously there has only been 1 day so far but Symonds already owes his team after a poor dismissal when he didn't need to attack as much as he did.I guess he can make up for it with a couple of wickets tomorrow but that would mean England are going along nicely as he would surely only be a last resort after the quicks and Warne have had a go in the morning session.

His dismissal today is why i don't think he will ever be a test player as he is too impatient at the crease.Brilliant one day player and will be a key player in the World Cup but not a test number 6.

What's worrying is that Australia appear to have so many great young players coming up through the ranks... Voges, Cameron White, Tait, Mitchell etc. etc. When the older guys do step aside, it's not going to take a lot to fill their shoes.

England don't seem to have the same.

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I've been watching Symonds over the last year in tests, and saw quite a number of Australia's games especially at home when I could stay up, and he has not convinced me that he is anything other than a one-day biffer who can't build a long innings in tests. I don't think he has the temperament or the range of shots, and Shane Watson (when he gets fit) is a far more attractive option. If Australia weren't so worried about Glenn mcGrath's fitness and Brett Lee's economy rate, they'd have picked Jacques or Voges and gone in with four bowlers plus Michael Clarke again, but they wanted some kind of all-rounder with international experience and sadly (for them) all they have is Symonds. Of course he has time in this match but his dismissal today and the past year's worth of performances are unconvincing in the extreme!

They're breaking into the team now: Cook, Bell, Pietersen (still young), Mahmood, Panesar, even Anderson. Then there's Plunkett, Joyce, Broad, Bopara, Davies, Onions et al in the academy squad, and Rashid et al in county cricket. I'd say we have a wealth of talent which is already beginning to show.

The point is this. I also would of picked Watson but he is not fit. What was Martyn doing in the side? He just wasting a place as he let us know by doing the decent thing.
The Australian's have a problem. Yes! even they sometimes they don't have the perfect player to fit in. The four man attack of OZ which used to be good enough isn't that good. Can you imagine in the old days Warne having to bowl negatively like in the last Test. The attack with increased frequency is under the cosh the four bowlers need some help, now Symonds is far from ideal but in current circumstances he will have to do.
To be fair to him he hasn't played that much Test cricket. Flintoff and Hoggard hardly took Test cricket by storm when they played their first 10 Tests.

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Well done Symonds two wickets just what Australia needed.

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"Checkout the big brain on Brett" Pulp Fiction