Another Aussie champ departs

Australian cricket was reeling Sunday after swashbuckling former all-rounder Andrew Symonds was killed in a single-car accident outside Townsville in Queensland state on Saturday night.

Symonds was a key part of Australia's back-to-back 50-over World Cup triumphs in 2003 and 2007. The 46-year-old, who played 26 Tests and 198 one-day internationals from 1998 to 2009, was widely considered one of the most skilled all-rounders Australian cricket has seen. He bowled both off-spin and medium pace with similar effectiveness, fielded exceptionally and played many match-winning hands with his explosive middle-order batting.

Symonds' fatal crash comes just months after the deaths of fellow Australian greats Warne and Marsh, who both died unexpectedly from heart attacks.

"Unfortunately I've been here too often this year under these circumstances. I actually can't quite believe it, to be honest," former Australia captain Mark Taylor told Channel Nine. "Another tragic day for cricket."

The larger-than-life Symonds was hugely popular, not only for his hard-hitting approach to the game but also for his easy-going personality. His demeanour and body language made him appear, as if, he was a player from the classic bygone eras. 

"He was just an entertainer. He wanted to go out there and have fun and play the game he remembered to play it as a kid.

"At times he got in trouble for not going to training or maybe having a few too many beers...but that is the way he lived his life and the way he wanted to play his cricket also," Taylor said.

Police said emergency services attempted to revive him, but he died from his injuries after the car left the road and rolled.

"We are still in shock -- I'm just thinking of the two kids," his tearful wife Laura told the newspaper, referring to their young children.

"He was the most laid-back person. Nothing stressed him out."

Symonds, who was born in England with one parent of Afro-Caribbean descent, will also be remembered for the infamous "monkeygate" scandal that sent him into a downward spiral.

He accused India spinner Harbhajan Singh of a racial slur during Sydney's 2008 New Year Test, marking a low point for India-Australia cricket relations.

"From that moment on that was my downhill slide," Symonds recalled in 2018. "I started to drink heavily as a result of it and my life was starting to dissolve around me."

Symonds' career was cut short following the controversy. His Cricket Australia contract was withdrawn in June 2009 after he was sent home from the World Twenty20 in England following the latest in a series of alcohol-related indiscretions.

Despite the animosity, Symonds and Harbhajan eventually made up and played together in the Indian Premier League.

"Shocked to hear about the sudden demise of Andrew Symonds. Gone too soon," Harbhajan said.

After retiring, Symonds forged a successful career as a commentator.

Adam Gilchrist, another former teammate who more recently commentated alongside Symonds at Fox Sports, was also in shock, saying: "Simply stunned, I can't believe we're in this space again the cricketing world."