By IANS,
Melbourne : Australian captain Ricky Ponting has welcomed the comeback of troubled all-rounder Andrew Symonds to the side, saying he is invaluable.
“He’s a great team man and a great player,” Ponting was quoted as saying in the Courier Mail.
“He’s someone we look forward to having around.”
Ponting’s praise of Symonds came during the launch of sixth book of the series Captain’s Diary in Sydney, just a couple of hours before the allrounder was named in the Test team to play New Zealand.
Ponting said he had been in touch with Symonds and was confident of his rehabilitation.
“I’ve spoken to him quite a few times over the past few weeks and he just wants to get back into playing cricket for Australia again,” Ponting said.