Oz players' association wants freedom of speech

MELBOURNE, February 11: Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA) President Darren Lehmann has criticised the Board for pulling out Andrew Symonds' column before its publication in a newspaper, saying it was important that the players were given freedom of speech.
The debate over a cricketer's right to freedom of speech raged after Cricket Australia pulled out Symonds' column in which the all-rounder had criticised administrators and expressed the players' anger at not being allowed to sign with the Indian Premier League (IPL).Lehmann said, "It's hard for both but we have to make sure the players feel they can have their say."
"I don't know the extent of Andrew's article. So until we know what's in there it's hard to make a judgement call. But you want to make sure the players feel they can have freedom of speech," Lehmann wrote in The Advertiser. In the unpublished column, Symonds revealed the players' frustrations over CA's sponsorship restrictions for the Twenty20 series, beginning on April 18.