Andrew Symonds, The 3-Dimensional, Loyal Freak of Nature

Andrew Symonds was a part of a gifted group of all-rounders. While the game has seen some legendary all-rounders in the form of Sir Gary Sobers, Sir Iam Botham, Kapil Dev and the likes of Jacques Kallis later on, there was a touch of uniqueness in Andrew Symonds.

He had his athletic gifts and could have been a master in any sport if he put his effort there. Playing cricket, Andrew Symonds was a brilliant fielder, constantly swooping over the ball like a predator. He was one of those fielders who was always looking for the ball, and wanted to be in the most happening regions of the field, constantly looking to make an impact with his fielding.

He may have been a bit larger in body type but he had a sense of swiftness with his movement and a rocket arm, along with a strong sense of intuition which made him a fielder to watch out for. As a batter, Andrew Symonds was one of the players who helped bring a new brand of cricket, especially to the white-ball game. He had an extraordinary strike-rate in one-day cricket back in a period when the game was just starting to get faster.

On many occasions though, Andrew Symonds had to hold back due to his captains’ orders, but when given the license he was a beast who could clear the ropes and rotate strikes with equal ease. With the ball, Andrew Symonds had his own unique aspect yet again. While he is not the only player to bowl both pace and spin, he was one of the more tactical bowlers. He kept rotating behind medium-pace and off-spin and again used his body well.

As a spinner, more than spin, Symonds relied on accuracy and used his powerful arm to deliver balls in the regions batters do not like to face. With his medium-pace, Symonds had enough skill to move the ball around and get decent bounce. His variety in skillset is what set him apart from Shane Watson, an all-rounder who competed with him for a spot in the national side at the turn of the century.

While his numbers may not suggest it, he was an extraordinary player. His selection in the 2003 World Cup was controversial looking at his average. After getting selected though, Symonds came up with some valuable performances to prove his selection was right, and played a strong hand as Australia went on a winning run in the 2003 and 2007 World Cup campaign.

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His career though was not short of controversy. He had his fair share of rough moments with the monkey gate scandal among them. The scandal though helped show the kind of person Andrew Symonds actually is. While he was aggressive in 2008, he showed absolutely no bad blood and built a wonderful relationship with Harbhajan Singh when both players were picked to play for the Mumbai Indians. The incident is a clear example of how Symonds cares about his teammates and how loyal he is. His loyalty was spoken of highly by many players in both the Australian team and the county circuit as well.

He was a wonderful asset to any side he played for and a champion player. In the IPL as well, Andrew Symonds has a wonderful history especially in the early years when he played for the Deccan Chargers. He was the go-to man for Adam Gilchrist, bringing in wonderful knocks and was one of the IPLs most iconic players in it’s early days.

He contributed to a championship there too as he played a wonderful innings under pressure in the IPL final to get the Deccan Chargers to a respectable total after a bad start. Along with his exploits in whilte-ball cricket, Andrew Symonds had his moments in Test cricket too. He did enough to keep Shane Watson out of the side, and was useful with his bowling variety, often increasing his workload as a spinner in the subcontinent.

His style of play bought thrill in a time where patience was key, and he was a magnificent crowd puller. In a time when batters used to look for a strike-rate in the 70s, here was a player who was ahead of time. He batted fast, bowled well and put his body on the line while fielding, without too much fuss and really was a freak of nature given his involvement in the game.