Andrew Symonds, the free-spirited Aussie all-rounder, dies in car crash – Hindustan Times

Australian crickets cup of grief is overflowing. The latest shocking news was former all-rounder Andrew Symondss death on Saturday night after the car he was driving crashed in Queensland. He was 46 and is survived by his wife and two young children.

Australian media quoted a police statement to say that the car went off the road around 11pm and rolled. Emergency services attempted to revive the 46-year-old driver and sole occupant. However, he died of his injuries.

Symonds played 26 Tests, 198 ODIs and 14 T20Is in an eleven-year career from 1998 to 2009. Born in Birmingham, he spurned the chance to play for England and picked Australia. His numbers could have been much more, but the free-spirited player was about impact, not longevity. And he often fell afoul of cricket officialdom, ending his Australia career early.

Also Read | Harbhajan Singh remembers good friend Andrew Symonds: He was someone who I could call at 2:30 in the morning

But the man nicknamed Roy wasnt just about numbers. He was an assurance like few others, as Ricky Ponting, who led him to two ODI World Cups in 2003 and 2007, and Adam Gilchrist, who featured in both those triumphs and many more, tweeted.

If Roy shook your hand, you had his word, thats the sort of bloke he was and thats why I always wanted him on my team, Ponting, coaching Delhi Capitals in IPL, tweeted in his tribute. Gilchrist wrote: Think of your most loyal, fun, loving friend who would do anything for you. Thats Roy.

Cricket Australia described him thus: The Queenslander was a larger-than-life figure who drew a widespread fan base during his peak years for not only his hard-hitting ways but his larrikin persona.

Australian cricket has lost a third important member of its fraternity in the last couple of months. Wicket-keeping great Rod Marsh, 74, died following a heart attack in Adelaide on March 4, and within hours came the shocking news of spin legend Shane Warnes death in a Thailand resort aged just 52. Its ODI stalwart in an era in-between, Dean Jones, 59, had died in September 2020 after a massive stroke suffered in a Mumbai hotel while doing TV duties.

Symonds was a key member of Australias great sides, especially ODIs, in the 2000s. It featured Warne, Matthew Hayden, Ponting, Glenn McGrath, Gilchrist and Michael Clarke. Symondss powerful batting in the middle-order, electric fielding and a bullet throwing arm, and brisk medium-pace and off-spin all made him a great package.

Also Read | Witness reveals desperate efforts to save Andrew Symonds' life after car crash: 'My partner tried to get him out of car'

His frequent run-ins with cricket bosses meant a slow start to his Australia career. Until he announced himself on the biggest of stagesthe 2003 World Cup in southern Africa where holders Australia, reeling from Warnes doping suspension, were 86/4 against Pakistan at Johannesburg in their opening game.

Symonds, never one for caution, came in at No 6 and settled the game by smashing 143* off 123 balls. Australia finished on 310/8, and won by 82 runs. His 2007 World Cup began midway after a wrist injury, caused by putting too much into a shot. He finished on the triumphant side at Kensington, Barbados.

His defining Test innings was a racy 156 in the Boxing Day Ashes Test against England in 2006-07. He bettered that with a career-best 162 in Sydney against India in 2007-08, but the home teams win came amid acrimony. Umpire Steve Bucknor turned down a caught behind appeal early in Symondss knock with Australia in trouble. Beyond umpiring controversies, the Test will forever be remembered for the charge brought against Harbhajan Singh that he racially abused Symonds by calling him a monkey.

Harbhajan was initially handed a ban by ICC match referee Mike Proctor. But amid Harbhajans denial, Indias threat to walk off the tour if the racism tag stayed, and skipper Anil Kumble announcing that only one team had played in the spirit of the game, the player was let off with a hefty fine for using abusive language.

The two players patched when IPL was launched, with Symonds bought by now defunct Deccan Chargers for $1.35 million. He played four seasons in the league, the final season, 2011, in Mumbai Indians with Sachin Tendulkar.

Symondss Australia career rapidly declined. In 2005, he was suspended for turning up drunk ahead of the shock ODI loss to Bangladesh at Cardiff. He then chose to go fishing instead of attending a team meeting ahead of a home series against Bangladesh. He eventually left the team after a suspension for breaking team drinking rules ahead of the 2009 T20 World Cup. It painted a picture of someone tough to control, but left one wondering if he was fully understood and whether it had to do with the Australia team culture.

In IPL, he scored 974 runs at a strike rate of 129.87 with one century and five fifties. After three seasons with the now-defunct Deccan Chargers, Symonds joined MI in 2011, playing 11 games and featuring in their Champions League win in 2011/12.

N Ananthanarayanan has spent almost three decades with news agencies and newspapers, reporting domestic and international sport. He has a passion for writing on cricket and athletics....view detail

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Andrew Symonds, the free-spirited Aussie all-rounder, dies in car crash - Hindustan Times