Published: May 15, 2022, 02:51 PM (IST)
Edited: May 15, 2022, 02:51 PM (IST)
The news of Andrew Symonds‘ death in a car accident in Queensland in Australia came as a shock to almost anyone who has even the remotest interest in cricket. A member of the Australian squad which in its day had few peers, Symonds was an archetypal Australian cricketer on the field a mean machine but could be equally affable off the field. AS with many cricketers from Australia, their association with the Indian Premier League gave them an insight into India as a country and as a cultural entity and that seems to always make a difference, as it did with ‘Roy’ as Symonds was popularly called.
While Symonds’ cricket philosophy was all Australian, his looks weren’t quite that of the typical Aussie. Famous for his dreadlocks and zinc paint in his heydays, Symonds looked more of the Caribbean mould than anything else.
Born in England, one first heard of Symonds as he, after his parents moved to Australia, started making waves in domestic cricket since 1994-95 and soon wore the Australian ODI jersey. There was a lot of discussion and debate about whether he should appear for England, having been born there, during the early days of his career, but Symonds decided to opt for his adopted country of and became a full-fledged Australian.
His association with Indian cricket, at least pre-IPL days, was less than cordial to say the least. In fact, he and Harbhajan Singh had squared off even before the notorious ‘Monkeygate’ issue of 2008, as neither was in the habit of stepping back.
But the same Symonds, who began IPL cricket in that very year for Deccan Chargers, and Harbhajan eventually buried the hatchet when the Australian moved to Mumbai Indians in 2011.
It wasn’t as if Symonds had taken to picking fights only with Bhajji. He, like most Australian cricketers of that era and before, used sledging very effectively as a weapon to break the mental make-up of many a rival, something that culminated in things becoming way too ugly and the Aussies having to step back.
With the ‘Monkeygate’ episode not falling favourably with the Indian cricket board and after the ensuing negotiations, Cricket Australia too didn’t really come out in stout defence of their player and there is a school of thought that this was the disillusionment that resulted in Symonds losing interest in cricket and being at odds with his home cricket authorities thereafter.
Always a bit of a maverick who enjoyed his drink, Symonds was pulled up several times for indiscipline, which eventually led to his contract being cancelled and one of the tough guys of cricket slowly vanished.
An ace o batter with lightning quick reflexes that made him an eternal threat as a close-in fielder, Symonds also dabbled with off-spin and medium-pace but his strongest suit always was his batting ability. His presence on the cricket field is unlikely to be forgotten as he joins a group of Australian cricket luminaries, including Rodney Marsh and Shane Warne, who left the fraternity mourning earlier this year.
(The article was first published on india.com)
