State coach urges Symonds to take control of his destiny

Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds's state coach Trevor Barsby has urged the embattled cricketer to take control of his own destiny amidst reports that the Queenslander will be send back to the rehabilitation programme for second time in five months.

Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds's state coach Trevor Barsby has urged the embattled cricketer to take control of his own destiny amidst reports that the Queenslander will be send back to the rehabilitation programme for second time in five months.

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"He is a big boy so he must realise that he has to take control of his own destiny.

"He has the full support of current and former players - and a direct line to some counsellors - but at the end of the day the buck stops with him," Barsby was quoted as saying in the 'Daily Telegraph'.

The cricketer, during a rambling and alcohol-fueled radio outburst on Friday, called New Zealand batsman McCullum a "lump of s**t" after New South Wales (NSW) signed him for the final of the domestic Twenty20 competition.

The coach extended support to the troubled cricketer, but said as a matured man Symonds should ponder about the consequences before making such comments.

"We can help him as much as possible but we can't babysit him. Roy needs to choose to do something about things and take ownership. He is a grown man and he's got to be aware of the consequences of his actions," Barsby said.

Although skipper Ricky Ponting has supported Symonds' bid for selection in the Australian squad for next month's South African Test tour, he will not be chosen if Cricket Australia determines that his radio rant is part of much bigger problem and decides to keep him away from international cricket to sort out his issues.