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MELBOURNE - New Zealand star Brendon McCullum is hopeful Andrew Symonds can regain his place in world cricket despite copping a disparaging sledge from the wayward Australian allrounder.
Symonds faces the prospect of being fined A$5750 ($7325) for calling McCullum a "lump of s***" in a radio interview after being charged under Cricket Australia's (CA) code of conduct on Tuesday.
Symonds will on Thursday give evidence to a CA hearing which will determine if he is to be punished for the remark, which came in criticism of McCullum's selection in last Saturday night's Twenty20 final between NSW and Victoria.
Symonds, 33, was drinking at a pub before he was interviewed on Triple M.
The Queenslander issued an apology for his rant, but not his drinking, on Sunday.
McCullum said on Tuesday he harboured no hard feelings towards Symonds for his remark, and was hopeful the Australian could put his batch of recent off-field troubles behind him and return to play at the highest level.
"International cricket is better for his involvement in it," McCullum said.
"Hopefully he can get things sorted and get back out on the field.
"(There are) no hard feelings. He's entitled to his own opinion, this was just obviously a strong one on it.
"You've got to have thick skin to survive in this game."
Retired Victorian judge Gordon Lewis will decide whether Symonds' comment deserves sanction in his role as an independent code of conduct senior commissioner.
He will preside over the hearing, scheduled to be held in CA's Melbourne office at 2.30pm on Thursday (NZT).
It is unclear whether Symonds will attend the meeting in person.
He is scheduled to train with Queensland the same day, ahead of his return to first-class ranks after recent surgery.
Symonds underwent minor knee surgery after the second test against South Africa in December, and has been selected to play in the Sheffield Shield match against Western Australia, at the Gabba starting Friday.
His manager Matt Fearon said Symonds was keen to attend the hearing if possible.
"He's treating this very seriously because he's focused on getting back and playing his best cricket," Fearon said.
CA acting chief executive Michael Brown said it was inappropriate to comment given Symonds had been charged.
But a CA spokesman confirmed the maximum penalty Symonds would face if found guilty was a A$5750 fine for a first-time offence.
While that would clear Symonds the chance to earn selection for the coming tour of South Africa, his touring chances will also depend on his fitness and his rehabilitation from personal troubles.
Symonds was sent home from Darwin in August after he went fishing when he should have been attending a meeting with Australian teammates the day before a one-day international against Bangladesh.
He underwent psychological counselling but was soon in trouble again, as he was involved in a run-in with a fan at a Brisbane pub while drinking after the first test against New Zealand.
Symonds was cleared of any wrongdoing by CA, but maintained he would not stop drinking alcohol or socialising in public, although he vowed to make "better decisions".
Symonds' off-field indiscretions coincided with poor form, as his four tests against the Kiwis and Proteas yielded 167 runs at 23.86.
For Queensland this season he averages 13.33 at Shield level and 21.25 in one-dayers.
But Australian captain Ricky Ponting maintains Symonds remains a vital cog of the national side in all three formats, although he is keen to discuss his off-field troubles with his player.
- AAP
