Melbourne, Feb. 3: Some senior Cricket Australia officials are likely to tell the board of directors that they should not consider all rounder Andrew Symonds for selection for the tour of South Africa, given his alleged disturbed psychological state.

According to Fox Sports, a meeting of CA board officials here is expected to hear a recommendation from senior staff that Symonds be effectively barred from representing Australia in next month''s South African tour.

Top cricket officials have concerns about Symonds'' psychological state and want to keep him on a rehabilitation program rather than expose him to the pitfalls of a hostile South African tour.

The Symonds issue, now an official item on the agenda of the meeting, will be debated among the 14-member board chaired by Adelaide lawyer Jack Clarke.

Board sources say the most likely course of action is that Symonds will be stood down and a fresh focus put on his rehabilitation program, overseen by several psychologists.

"There will be talk about standing him down from international cricket," one board member told The Daily Telegraph.

If the board confirms the action, it is believed the earliest Symonds could return to play for Australia would be the one-day series against Pakistan in April/May.

That series is almost certain not to go ahead as scheduled in strife-torn Pakistan, although it could be shifted to a neutral venue.

If Symonds is pitchforked into the international cricket wilderness, it will represent stern action by the board at a time when Australia''s cricketing fortunes have hit a rocky low.

Skipper Ricky Ponting is a strong advocate for Symonds to play in South Africa, as his depleted team desperately needs experienced henchmen for one of the most challenging tours in world cricket.

But the prevailing view is that Symonds can only return when there is more evidence that he has dealt with the behavioral problems. (ANI)