Bat and ball / Paul Moon / 07 September 2008 / Leave a comment

Pablo Luna - Moonlighting for Betfair. Pablo was disappointed, if not surprised, to see Andrew Symonds in the headlines for the wrong reasons once again. But does it signal the end of his international career?

I do not subscribe to the notion that sportsmen automatically become role models when achieving in their chosen sport. I am not sure where this diktat originated but it is nonsense! I have talked at length about role models in sport and where their responsibility lies: http://betting.betfair.com/betting/other/sports-betting-why-do-we-believe-sportspeople-should-be-200508.html but this does not stop me from being surprised with Andrew Symonds' latest behaviour.

Andrew Symonds (33) was sent home last week from Australia's one-day squad playing Bangladesh in Darwin after missing a compulsory team meeting to go fishing. This was not the first time his commitment has been questioned. He was left out of a one-day match against Bangladesh in 2005 after a late-night drinking binge and arriving for the game under the influence. There have also been many more minor infringements.

If he was not so important to this transitional Australian team I think he would be discarded permanently. I commend the team's leadership group whose job it is to maintain high standards. Though a fabulous player, I believe that the predominant gene in problem child Symonds is the larrikin and he will always revert to type - similar to our own Andrew Flintoff (watch this space)!

The man in the street is horrified to find this multi-million dollar cricketer acting this way. What makes it worse is that the Australian ODI team are currently without Ponting, Lee and Hayden meaning that as one of the few senior players in the side, he was under greater scrutiny than usual to set a good example.

I cannot justify his actions but Symonds might respond by saying that he is disappointed with Cricket Australia for performing a spineless behind-the-scenes backflip over the Harbhajan Singh affair. There are loud whispers that he will refuse to play for Australia again!

Interestingly 83 per cent of respondents from a sample of 50,000 Australians regard Ricky Ponting's men as good role models for children (pollsters Roy Morgan) despite the last controversy-filled summer.

Teams always look for a senior player to set a good example to other team members and that is commendable but in today's high-pressure sport the best way to succeed in that is to be successful.

Senior players should pass on good habits like fitness and preparation, concentration and determination. They should encourage, be available as mentors, pass on their experiences and help with attention to detail. All this while maintaining positive energy! In cricket part of the game is played in the head so experienced help is essential and of course there are always technical issues that need to be ironed out.

One problem in passing on wisdom is that the very best players tend to be so focussed on their own game that they have no time for the more average player. I note that the very best players make better media men, they do not make good managers or great coaches.

In cricket can you recall the careers of Peter Moores, Tim Nielsen, Trevor Bayliss and John Dyson? I do have memories of Geoff Lawson, Gary Kirsten and John Bracewell but not one of these national coaches could be considered exceptional as players!

If forced to nominate the best role model in English cricket I choose Sir Ian Botham (second best all-rounder ever to Gary Sobers). His achievements in the game and outside elevate him over his peers.

It is easier to name cricketers who would make bad role models. My list would include Muttiah Muralitharan because of his throwing action. Chain-smoker Shane Warne and his phone fixation, Greg Chappell for attempting to destroy the spirit of cricket. Another would be Inzamam-ul-Haq for attempting to destroy the career of Darrell Hair.

A lot of this role model talk is malarkey! It is clear that you do not have to be an angel to represent and promote sport. People actually like bad boys, they are more fun! When they fail you feel better about yourself.