VIDEO: Symonds faces the musicPrime Minister's XI skipper Justin Langer strode the halls of Australian power with aplomb yesterday, turning diplomat to heal a growing international rift.
Langer, who takes to the field at Manuka today to lead his team against New Zealand, joined Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and players from both teams at a Parliament House reception last night.
The former Australian opener took it upon himself to explain to the victim of Andrew Symonds' now infamous ''lump of s---'' radio interview Kiwi Brendon McCullum that because the comments were made to comedy duo Roy Slaven and HG Nelson they shouldn't be taken seriously.
''I was just saying to Brendon before, 'I hope you understand who he was talking to, he was talking to Roy and HG','' Langer said.
''And he said, 'who's that, a company?' and I said, 'no, it's like talking to John Cleese on the radio'.''
Symonds will front a Cricket Australia disciplinary hearing today over last week's alcohol-fuelled on-air incident. He had criticised the selection of McCullum in the NSW team for the domestic twenty20 final as ''un-Australian''.
''The world's gone mad, he was talking to Roy and HG,'' Langer said. ''When you talk to Roy and HG having done it [myself] it's pretty hard to be serious. He obviously would regret what he said, probably using the s-word. I think we've got to put it into some sort of perspective, I hope some common sense prevails.''
Among those at the Parliament House reception last night was legendary Test left-hander Neil Harvey who recalled playing in Sir Robert Menzies' first PM's XI match in 1951. Fifty-eight years later, he will be on hand, along with teammates from the 1948 Invincibles team Arthur Morris and Sam Loxton to watch Australia face-off against New Zealand.
The man who retired with a record second only to his 1948 captain, Sir Donald Bradman, still looks fit enough to pull the pads on at 80.
But Harvey said he was happy just to watch.
''It's all changed a bit since my day,'' he said. ''When we played, Menzies had both teams at the Lodge for dinner. He used to fly us Victorians up from Melbourne in an air force plane and we would stay at the Lodge for a couple of nights. And Dame Patty would cook us breakfast in the morning.''
With temperatures set to soar as high as 37 degrees, Mr Rudd's team of young tyros will have a tough time trying to end the Kiwis' unbeaten run in the fixture.
Cracking jokes throughout his speech and smiling broadly, Mr Rudd clearly relished the occasion.
He paid tribute to Menzies for founding the PM's XI match and for his talent for organising official trips to England to coincide with Ashes tours and to Bob Hawke, ''the archdeacon of this game's resurrection''.
But he had a stern warning for Langer about improving Australia's 0-4 record against the Kiwis.
''It's very disturbing when you think about it, isn't it Justin? No pressure, mate,'' he said.
New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori confessed he had not known about his country's unbeaten record in the fixture but he promised his team would do all it could to preserve the record.
And 105-test-legend Langer said he was ''pumped'' to be leading young players who had a lot to prove.
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