It’s a tragedy that I have to write this article with the heading of looking back because what happened today was one of the most shocking things to happen in the cricketing world as the great Andrew Symonds passed away tragically only at the age of 46 in a car accident and the world lost a true great of the game. Personally I loved his batting and his hitting the stumps directly almost all the time. Roy as he was called fondly will be sorely missed by all fans.
With that all being said let’s talk about his career and celebrate this great man. Andrew Symonds Played a total of 26 Test Matches and in those Test Matches he scored 1462 runs at a good average of 40.61 with 10 Half centuries and 2 Test hundreds with a highest score of 162*. However he was more prolific in the ODI format as he played a total of 198 ODIs for Australia and he scored 5088 runs at an average of 39.75 and he hit his runs at an amazing strike rate of 92.44. He got 30 Half centuries and 6 ODI hundreds with a highest score of 156. Let’s look back at some of his highlights
Hitting his first Test Hundred
This moment when a batter hits the first hundred in test match cricket for their nation is one of the most gratifying feelings for any cricketer and he this moment came for Andrew Symonds vs England in the 2006 Ashes when at the iconic MSG he scored 156 runs in just 220 balls at a strike rate of over 70. This will always be a moment that he will cherish throughout his career.
Winning his first ODI Match for Australia
We talked about his first test hundred and how we will talk about the moment when he won his first ODI match for Australia. It was in 1999 which was very early on in his career and while chasing 159 in 38 overs he made 68* from 68 balls and won the match for Australia. It is a proud moment when a player wins a match for their country.
A memorable World Cup Hundred
One of his very best innings came in the 2003 World Cup against Pakistan at Wanderers in Johannesburg where he absolutely smashed the bowling attack which had Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar and Shahid Afridi in it. He batted first and made a brilliant 143* in just 125 balls with 18 fours and 2 sixes and Australia won that match by 82 runs. It was a memorable hundred at the biggest tournament in cricket.
Getting a Hundred at Lord’s
Another moment which every cricketer secretly wants is to get a hundred at Lord’s and Andrew Symonds was one of those who got it in a match against Pakistan in 2004. He was the only one from the Australian team who got over 53 runs in the Innings and he made 104* in 103 balls with 9 fours and 1 six. This was one of his most pleasing innings to watch and an incredibly special moment for him I am sure.
Best ever bowling performance
Although Andrew Symonds was primarily known as a batter he was no slouch with the ball as he had his best bowling performance and that too.a 5 wicket haul vs Bangladesh in 2005. Bangladesh were batting first in this ODI match and Andrew Symonds ripped apart through the batting order by taking 5 wickets and giving away only 18 runs in just 7.2 overs of bowling and it restricted Bangladesh to 139 which Australia chased down with 10 Wickets remaining.
Also Read: Shane Warne Profile, Stats and Records
