Within three months, more sad news from Australian cricket. It was the sudden death of Andrew Symonds.
On May 14 (Saturday night), he was killed in a car accident. The 46-year-old died when his car left the road and rolled in Hervey Range, about 50km from Townsville in Northern Queensland.
Symonds reportedly went fishing on the day of his death before stopping in at the Brothers Leagues Club in Kirwan on Saturday afternoon. Though he was considered an alcoholic, he didn’t drink much while at the venue, according to the club’s CEO Justin Wilkins.
“I’d say he spent the morning fishing before he got to the pub,” Wilkins told ‘Daily Mail’ Australia.
“He stayed there until about 8 pm, and then he left.
“It’s really sad … He was a top bloke and he’ll be missed.”
“We just don’t know”
Australian media revealed Symonds reportedly went home after leaving Brothers to pick up his dogs but died a few hours later. His home is not far from the club. It was a two-minute drive from the club in Kirwan, while the crash occurred about 15 minutes west of Kirwan. However, his sister Louise told the Daily Mail “we just don’t know” what the cricketer was doing driving late at night on Hervey Range Road.
But a local Garry Clark who was with Symonds at the Club told the paper: “I shook his hand and had a chat.
“He was teasing me because his team the Broncos just beat my team Manly that night and we were having a laugh about it.
“I am in shock. What happened keeps popping into my head.”
All in all, reports say Symonds was on his way back to his home from a mystery location when he crashed.
“He was unconscious”
Foxsports.com spoke about a witness who found Symonds in his vehicle after the crash. This female witness was with her partner when they saw the victim in the car. She told the ‘Courier Mail’ that the cricketer’s two blue heelers were also in the car at the time, but refused to leave his side.
“One of them was very sensitive and didn’t want to leave him,” she said. “It would just growl at you every time we tried to move him or go near him.
“My partner tried to get (Symonds) out of the car, to put him on his back.
“He was unconscious, not responsive and had no pulse.”
In the meantime, Channel 9 reporter Mia Glover told ‘FIVEaa’ radio on Monday, May 16 you can “see that there’s a lot of brake marks on the road from where his car veered off before it eventually rolled.”
“At this stage police still have no idea why he left the road. One rumour that’s going around by locals is he may have swerved to miss an animal but everything’s under investigation at the moment.”
“I wish we had one more day”
On Sunday, the day after the incident, Symonds’ sister visited the scene of the accident, leaving a handwritten note expressing her sense of loss.
“Gone far too soon!” the note read. “Rest in peace Andrew.
“I wish we had one more day, one more phone call.
“My heart is broken. I will always love you my brother.”
An autopsy was also to be conducted as part of the police investigation into the accident. But it was late as there was not a doctor in the area who performs those types of procedures, with one needing to be brought in from elsewhere in Queensland.
Reports also say that Andrew Symonds and wife Laura had separated - they have two children Chloe and Billy.
Cricketers’ sorrow
As soon as the sad news broke, many former Australian cricketers and cricket fraternity across the world began to express their condolences. Among them was former Australian and Queensland cricket star Jimmy Maher who broke down on live TV over the death of his great mate. Talking to Karl Stefanovic on Tuesday’s episode of Today, Maher became emotional as he reflected on the death and the impact it has had on his family.
“It’s been tough, Karl,” Maher said. “It’s definitely tough.”
Maher knew Symonds since they started playing junior cricket together in the under-10s, and also was aware of the relationship between Symonds and his family. Maher said: “They’re hanging in there. We had a pretty big day yesterday and (sister) Louise and (mum) Barb and Laura and the children are all holding up as best they can.”
Regarding the missing most about Symonds, Maher said: “If he had your back, he always had your back. He was loyal.
“Far away from the cricket field, the things that we shared were … things that I’ll miss. Family stuff and all those things — he’s just a true friend.”
“Better human being”
Former Australian captain and a teammate of Symonds, Ricky Pontin tweeted: “If Roy (nickname for Symonds) shook your hand you had his word, that’s the sort of bloke he was and that’s why I always wanted him on my team. An extraordinary player and even better human being. Can’t believe he’s gone. Thoughts are with his family at this time.”
Michael Clarke, though they had a bad relationship during the later period, offered a touching tribute to his teammate. “Obviously extremely sad. Really tough. [I] just don’t know what is going with cricket at the moment. Just devastating. It has been a horrible few months. These are the times you grab your family, friends and cherish every day.”
While Symonds was regarded as one of Australia’s finest all-rounders, Clarke also said he was “probably my favourite batsman to bat with” and “probably the most athletic cricketer” he played with.
Cricket Australia chairman Lachlan Henderson said in a message: “Australian cricket has lost another of its very best. Andrew was a generational talent who was instrumental in Australia’s success at World Cups and as part of Queensland’s rich cricket history.”
“He was a cult figure to many who was treasured by his fans and friends. On behalf of Australian cricket our deepest sympathies are with Andrew’s family, team-mates, and friends.”
Former Australian captain Allan Border was also among those to pay tribute to Symonds. Border said to the Nine Network, Symonds “hit the ball a long way and just wanted to entertain”.
“He was, in a way, a little bit of an old-fashioned cricketer. He was an adventurer, loved fishing, hiking, camping. People liked his very laid-back style.”
ICC put a special note on him on May 14: “Tragic news surrounding the former Australia all-rounder and our thoughts are with his friends and family.”
The star’s former county club, Kent Cricket, said on Twitter: “The club is shocked and saddened to learn of the passing of former overseas star and cult hero, Andrew Symonds.”
“The thoughts of everyone at Kent Cricket are with Roy’s family and friends at this desperately sad time.”
No doubt, Andrew Symonds is a legend. Sri Lankan cricket fans cannot easily forget his name because he was the key figure who stopped Sri Lanka’s journey to the ICC ODI trophy at the first semi-final in 2003 world cup. There he scored 91 runs as the highest scorer for Australia. And even in the 2007 World Cup final he scored 23 off 21 and grabbed one wicket in winning the ICC ODI trophy for the fourth time. Anyway, we salute for his greatness in spite of all the defeats we acquired.
