Symonds regrets signing last Australia contract

Melbourne, Feb 19 (ANI): Troubled all rounder Andrew Symonds has said that his one big regret is signing his last Australia cricket contract where he agreed to try to swear off the booze in public places.

Speaking at a Queensland cricket function where he was presented with a portrait of himself for playing 100 games for the Bulls, Symonds said he will never play first-class cricket again and chances are he may also not play any further short-form cricket for Queensland.

He also claimed he was not bitter about his sacking from the Australia side, which came in England last year after he vanished from the team's London hotel to go drinking with a mate, The Courier Mail reports.

"I had to sign an agreement to go back into that side and play in that side - and if I had my time again I would never have signed that. It's probably the one regret I do have. That was probably the last straw in the camel's back for me and them (the Australia team) ," Symonds said.

"I never broke the law or did anything real bad. I'm not proud of some of the things I did but I'm very proud of some of the things I have done. I'm not bitter about it all. It was just a tough environment for me to live in - the way that I liked to enjoy myself.

"It just got to that point where at some point it was going to boil over and it did. I'm happy with that now, it's been dealt with and life goes on," he added. ymonds was surprised by the changing culture of cricket after coming into a Queensland side where he used to fetch beers for Allan Border and Carl Rackemann during training.

He struggled to adjust to the professional era where Australia cricketers spend more time in ice baths and team meetings than in hotel bars.

"I used to go and get a beer for Mocha (Carl Rackemann) and AB (Allan Border) at training. It's a true story. The game has come a very long way," Symonds said. (ANI)