Burly Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds has expressed his willingness to lead the World Champions in one-dayers, the media reported in Melbourne on Sunday.
Symonds' comments come after Cricket Australia (CA) appointed Michael Clarke as the captain for a Twenty20 match against New Zealand. And gave hints that the board is grooming Clarke to step into Ricky Ponting's shoes.
In his column in Melbourne Herald, Symonds said that it's great to see Clarke's rise in Australian cricket and when the time is right.
"I think he'll be the ideal successor to Ricky Ponting as captain of the Test side but, to be honest, I would love to get the chance to captain the Australian one-day team," said Symonds.
Talking about his own ambition, he said: "I thought about my personal development, my status within the Australian side and the longer-term goals I'd like to achieve. But in the past few years I've come a long way as a player and a person. Tactically, I find myself thinking about the game a lot more. I try to summarise the game in small segments."
Symonds, who has been in terrific form in both Tests and ODIs, thinks about what he would do in certain situations and how he would handle them if he had the final say.
"I regularly talk to 'Punter' (Ponting) and enjoy offering the odd bit of advice out in the middle. On a personal level, I've matured a lot. Respect is something you acquire over time and I feel I have earned that respect among the Aussie guys," he said.
"There was a time when I worried about my own game, but now I take a genuine interest in the younger blokes coming through. If advice is needed, I'm more than happy to give it.
"But, realistically, I'd be surprised if I got the chance to lead my country. If 'Punter' or Adam Gilchrist weren't around, then the captaincy would most likely go to "Pup" (Clarke) or Mike Hussey. But it would be nice to be in the picture somewhere down the track," Symonds said.
Symonds wants to lead Australia in ODIs
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