Andrew Symonds, nicknamed “Symmo” and “Roy”, is an Australian cricketer born on June 9, 1975 in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England. He was educated initially at All Souls St Gabriels School, where his father Ken worked and later at All Saints Anglican School in Merrimac. An all-rounder, this right-handed batsman known for his aggressive batting style, also bowls right-arm medium pace or off-break. He is also a brilliant fielder and holds numerous records to his credit in the fielding department.
Andrew Symonds made his international Test debut against Sri Lanka on March 8, 2004. In the 2005 Boxing Day Test against South Africa he gave an all-round performance picking up 5 wickets as well as smashing 72 off 54 balls, creating a new national record for the fastest Test fifty. Andrew Symonds marked his first Test century in great style, bringing it up with a six during the Boxing Day Test, where Australia was in a spot of bother, having lost 5 wickets for 84 runs. Andrew Symonds scored his second century, an astounding 162*, his best Test batting score, on January 2, 2008 in Sydney against India.
Andrew Symonds began his One Day International (ODI) career on November 10, 1998 against Pakistan. He was named in the Australian squad for the 2003 Cricket World Cup and in Australia’s opening match of the tournament, Andrew Symonds hit a tremendous 143*. In the 193 ODI matches that he has played till September 2008, he has made over 5000 runs, with six centuries and twenty-nine 50s. His best ODI score of 156 came against New Zealand and his best bowling figures of 5 for18 against Bangladesh. He also has an excellent strike rate of over 90 and maintains an impressive batting average of 40.37.
Andrew Symonds ventured into domestic cricket in 1994 representing Queensland. During the 1995-1996 season he played for Gloucestershire during which he set the world record for the most number of sixes in the First-class innings and First-class matches, 16 and 20, respectively. From 1999 to 2004 he represented Kent and in 2005 he played for Lancanshire.
Andrew Symonds made his Twenty20 (T20) debut on June 16, 2003 for Kent at Beckenham. He signed up with the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Deccan Chargers, owned by Deccan Chronicle, for $1,350,000, making him the second most expensive player in the league. He proved his worth, scoring a blistering 117* off just 53 balls against Rajasthan Royals on April 24, 2008.
Andrew Symonds has won several laurels, including the prestigious Young Cricketer of the Year award presented by the Cricket Writers’ Club and the Man of the Match award in the 2002 Pura Cup final. Andrew Symonds also holds the distinction of being the player who caught the 500th wicket of Shane Warne.
