Melbourne: Controversial Australian allrounder Andrew Symonds is on his way home from the ICC World Twenty20 Championship after skipping the team practice at the Oval following an “alcohol-related incident”, media reports said on Thursday.

Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland said the 33-year-old Symonds broke a number of rules “in the last 24-48 hours” and the CA was now busy in organising flights to get him back to Australia.

“In isolation the breaches that I am talking about are not serious, but in the scheme of things, in the scheme of history, they are enough for it to be the final straw,” Sutherland said.

Symonds’ CA contract, which he retained only last month, is also now under review, he said.

Australia’s prospects in the tournament have been dealt a major blow in the absence of Symonds, who starred for the IPL title winners Deccan Chargers in South Africa.

The Ricky Pointing-led team faces the West Indies on Saturday in their tournament opener.

Ponting will shortly front another press conference in London to address the situation.

The Australian team management had a meeting after they were made aware of the situation and expressed their concerns to CA, who would request the International Cricket Council to organise a possible replacement player.

It is likely Symonds’ international career could now be over after the latest in a long list of off-field problems.

Symonds, who failed to earn selection in Australia’s Ashes squad announced last month, has been embroiled in a series of off-field controversies over the past year, the prominent ones being the go-fishing saga and monkeygate, involving Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh.

Symonds has played 26 Tests, making 1462 runs at an average of 40.61, with a highest score of 162 not out. He took 24 wickets at an average of 37.

In one-day internationals, he played 198 matches for Australia, averaging 39 with the bat and 37 with the ball.

People who visited this article, visited below posts too...

• Andrew Symond Not Longer in Australian Squad , Sent Back from T20
• Symond Go Back : Symond sent Bach due to alcohol incident frm T20 WC
• Drona : a magestic superhero movie
• Does huge cost ensure BO? Will it work for Drona ?
• Priyanka Chopra Latest Photo Shoot
• Abhishek Bachann Latest wallpapers
• Drona Wallpapers : Movie still