Party boy Symonds struggled to adjust to changing Oz player regime

Brisbane (Australia), June 6 (ANI): Party boy Andrew Symonds claims he rebelled for the final time because he could not adjust to the changing culture and restrictive rules of the Australian cricket team.

According to the Daily Telegraph, the troubled cricketer is set to admit that he could simply no longer abide by new expectations.

Symonds has never been able to adjust to team dynamics without great mates like Darren Lehmann and Adam Gilchrist, who enjoyed the old-fashioned culture of a few drinks at the end of a day and in between games.

In recent years it has almost become taboo for an Australian cricketer to be spotted in a bar and Symonds was simply stranded without drinking partners.

His manager Matt Fearon last night conceded that Symonds had been struggling to tolerate regimented team guidelines.

"There are no excuses but if you want to look at how this came about, the culture of the Australian cricket team has changed and Andrew has been left behind," Fearon told The Daily Telegraph.

There was no "smoking gun" that ended Symonds' tumultuous international career but rather a series of transgressions during Australia's preparations for the Twenty20 World Cup in England.

Symonds went missing from the team hotel - apparently drinking with a mate - and his alcohol consumption contravened the conditions laid down in a personal contract struck with Cricket Australia following a string of behavioural infractions.

He also headed out again the next morning and had several drinks too many at a gathering with teammates to watch his beloved Queensland in the State of Origin match on Wednesday.

The Australian team also attended a dinner hosted by the Professional Cricketers Association at the Royal Garden Hotel, Kensington, where one witness reported Symonds behaved "rudely".

In the 36-hour period, it is believed Symonds may have missed a team meeting or other team commitment.

Queensland Bulls will not guarantee him a contract for next season - even if he does want to play state cricket.

Queensland selectors - who have been loyal to Symonds for over a decade - now have genuine reservations about picking him. (ANI)