A tale of Andrew Symonds!

Andrew Symonds is one of the best batsmen in world cricket today who can easily rip apart any bowler by bat or by baath (talk – some areas they call it sledging!) If he is spinning the ball then you got a nuisance also along with the twirl especially when you are in batting side. But his side will just love him for doing so! He can floor any streakers who comes on his way too!

Symonds had a lot of problems from the day one. He is not that bad though the bad speculation and bad mouthed fellow cricketers tarnished his image. He is not a drunkard like many of you think, he drinks only in special occasions just like me and you do, no body can blame him for having special occasions literally every day isn’t it? And he drink only four Fosters beer, (just to start with) is that a sin? What is the problem for his fellow Australians if he mixes tequila with beer? And they talk about his fights in the bar. He fights only with guys who stare at him; it can be baseball players, football players or simply the bearers who just happened to be in wrong side of the bar. So what?

The biggest problem that Symonds faced in Australian dressing room was his own team mates, there is no Hayden, Gilchrist or McGrath in the team any more and the new bunch of young players looked at him as if they are watching a horror movie! At least this is what they heard about Symonds when they were playing for Australian Junior Cricket Team or their parents asked them to stay away from a person who’s got weird hair cut or ever white lips!

One late evening right after the Australian win against Pakistan; when all the players are returning to their hotel room, one young lad got in to Symonds’s nerves by simply avoiding and ignoring him like cow dung! Raising up to his reputation Symonds chased this young fellow till his room, the budding player was horrified and closed his room door to shake the whole hotel building, Symo knocked and kicked the door, end up making only some noise without the desired result, the young lad was terrified like a hostage surrounded by armed terrorists, shivering like a wet rat! Straight away Symonds complained to the coach. Coach called the young player to his room; he always kept a comfort distance with Symonds even when sitting there in the room.

Why did you run when you saw Symo? Why did you avoid him like plague? Don’t you think it is an insult to a great cricketer like Andrew Symonds? This time Symonds looked at the coach in anger to punch on his nose. Not because of anything but when coach said the word “a great cricketer” he chuckled unnecessarily! The answer from the newbie was surprising for both coach and Symonds!

“I was late to play my Xbox!”

Though Symonds astonished by the answer but the coach found it completely convincing enough and let him go without any punishment or further questions.

When Symonds gone to play IPL in South Africa, he was like a free bird, the Deccan Charger’s coach Lehman, captain Adam Gill Christ were very supportive, and the owner of the team offers a great liquor party every time they win, they offer same party every time they lose too, now this is exciting.

Gilly apparently advised Symo to have a tension less, glamorous life like how he and Heydo (Mathew Heyden) leads. No pressure cooker situations from Cricket Australia, no hectic schedule through out the year, make a huge amount of money that usually you make by playing the whole year for Australia, play only a month or so and relax in your favorite beaches with few babes, get drunk rest of the year. I am dead sure the last sentence has definitely motivated Symonds to make some deliberate problems in the dressing room and opt out of Cricket Australia intentionally! If the money he gets from IPL is not good enough; he can still make a lot from Lancashire by playing seasonal cricket!

IPL was like a party time for Symonds, just what doctor had ordered. He felt as if he was in a different world especially right after the Chappel Cup in UAE against Pakistan. He has been questioned for laughing out loudly, picking his nose, scratching his balls etc. He was tired of answering all these unwanted and unnecessary questions. Top of all he not supposed to get drunk during his stay with the team, now that is unbearable and heart breaking. When he went to South Africa he was like Alice in wonder land in IPL world, beer and girls are the basic thing you get there to start from, then you may improve game by game, every night is a party night. The bosses of IPL believed in a simple theory of “entertain the entertainer in order to get entertained!”

Though Symonds is planning to retire from international cricket by end of this week, he may get better and more devastating in domestic level for years to come. There are two types of people in the world, one who wait for their faith, another who creates their own faith!