Andrew Symonds' demise: A look into veteran all-rounder's explosive stint for Australia

Regarded as a nightmare for contending teams for the explosive display he brought forth on the pitches, Andrew Symonds, throughout his career spanning 11 years, has undoubtedly wreaked havoc on cricket grounds. His untimely demise is certainly a big loss for the Aussies as the benchmark set by Symonds is hard to replicate. He is arguably one of the few all-rounders who have been lauded for his impeccable innings both with the bat and the ball. Symonds met with his untimely demise on Saturday, May 14, during a car crash that transpired in Queensland.

Andrew Symonds debuted his career, playing for the Queensland state team in 1995 and amassed 5,000 runs, seizing 100 wickets for the side. He kickstarted his stint for the Australian national side in the year 1998 in a match against Pakistan. In an international career spanning from 1998 through 2009, Symonds featured in 26 Tests and 198 ODIs for Australia.

Andrew Symonds' career 

In his stint with the Aussies, Symonds amassed 5000 runs at an average of 39.75 in 200 ODIs while batting in the middle order, an impeccable stint that comprised six centuries and 30 half-centuries. He also claimed 133 wickets to his name during the period. 

Coming to the longest format, Symonds' Test career witnessed the all-rounder scoring 1462 runs with two centuries and 10 fifties. He made his debut in the whites in the year 2004 against Sri Lanka.

Match-winning knocks that sealed Symonds' fate

Counted among some of Andrew Symonds' explosive innings is his match-winning knock of 143 against Pakistan in the 2003 World Cup. Symonds revived an already crumbling batting lineup from 4-84 to 8-310, sealing their triumph and subsequently, their world cup prospects. 

In yet another match-winning knock, Symonds partnered with fellow teammate Ricky Ponting to wreak havoc on contending Sri Lanka in the year 2006, smashing 151 from 127 balls. This knock led the Aussies to post a mammoth total of 368 for the Lankans to defend, which, the latter miserably failed to.

Aided Australia in two World Cup triumphs

As mentioned earlier, Symonds' explosive innings against Pakistan in the 2003 World Cup was one of the key takeaways of the tournament which witnessed Australia lift the trophy in fashion. Four years later, He also helped the squad win the 2007 edition of the tournament in style.

Andrew Symonds dies in car crash

The veteran Australian cricketer Andrew Symonds met his tragic demise in a car crash on Saturday, May 14 in Queensland. According to a statement by the Queensland police, Symonds was involved in an accident outside Townsville where he was living after retirement from cricket. The former Australian allrounder was travelling alone when the crash transpired. Symonds was reportedly driving alone when his car left the road and rolled down to the sides. Paramedics, who rushed to the scene, couldn’t revive the veteran cricketer. Symonds’s untimely demise comes months after the shocking demise of his fellow cricketer Shane Warne, who passed away in March this year. Symonds was 46 years old at the time of his demise.