Andrew Symonds’ admission that alcohol played a part in his downfall this year was a major step in the right direction, according to Robert Craddock in the Courier-Mail.

Symonds left a few people cold at his "return" press conference in Melbourne last week with his belligerent air which radiated everything except the one quality people were desperate to see - remorse. "How can he really repair any damage he's done if he doesn't feel the need to apologise?" was a common view uttered by people there.

However his admission to former teammate Ian Healy on Channel 9 yesterday that he had drunk too much for his own good was a brave call, for which he should be applauded. It had been the elephant in the room for the past few months. Many people knew about it. No one wanted to talk about it. No one is calling Symonds an alcoholic - he's not - but alcohol unquestionably brings out the worst in him.

Walk into any bar and you will see how a few drinks extract the extremes in people's personalities - happiness, aggression, despair or humour. Symonds, by nature, is a brooding type who does not trust many people. He seems to carry quite a few angry thoughts around with him. After he has had a few beers those thoughts can gush out. Candidly, it's not pretty to watch.

Peter Roebuck writes in the Age that the time is right for Symonds to rejoin the Test team.

In the Australian, Peter Lalor argues that Stuart Clark must play in the first Test against New Zealand.

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