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Former Australian cricketer Andrew Symonds met an untimely death in a car crash on Sunday, May 15, Cricket Australia announced early morning on Sunday. The incident took place around 50 kilometres from Townsville, Queensland, according to an Australian daily. A career that saw Symonds win two consecutive World Cups in 2003 and 2007 was also marred by controversies, and here we take a look at five such incidents that were made infamous by the former Mumbai Indians (MI) star.
Monkeygate racism scandal
The mother of all cricketing scandals, the monkeygate scandal was turned into a racism row after Symonds accused Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh of calling him a monkey. The whole episode left Cricket Australia in a very bad light as they were unable to prove the incident's authenticity as Harbhajan's initial three-match ban was heavily contested by the BCCI and eventually overturned.
Rift with Michael Clarke
One of his closest friends at a point in his career was Michael Clarke. The duo were part of the invincible Australians who won consecutive World Cup titles, but after Clarke became the captain of the side, there were issues between the two that soon become public knowledge. In an interview a few weeks before his death, Symonds confessed that the Indian Premier League (IPL) was the reason behind Clarke’s ‘jealousy.’ “Money does funny things. It’s a good thing but it can be a poison and I reckon it may have poisoned our relationship,” Symonds was quoted as saying.
Alcoholism issues
Symonds' fight against alcoholism is well documented. The hard-hitting all-rounder had been dropped multiple times because of these issues. The most notable was during the 2009 T20 World Cup when he was sent home on the eve of the tournament for 'breaking a number of team rules related to alcohol and other issues. Prior to this, he was banned for two matches after turning up drunk to a One Day International against Bangladesh in Cardiff.
Beating up a man in a pub
On his day, Symonds was the most aggressive batter on the pitch, but sometimes this aggression leaked out into his daily life. One unlucky Australian fan faced his wrath in a pub back in 2008. The fan was allegedly trying to hug the cricketer which aggravated Symonds, who ended up beating the man. However, Symonds went on to be cleared by Cricket Australia following which he played in the Test match against New Zealand in Adelaide on November 26.
Goes Fishing During Team Meeting
During a team meeting in Darwin ahead of Australia's tour of Bangladesh in 2008, Symonds was 'missing' as the all-rounder decided to take a fishing trip instead. His decision earned the ire of the hierarchy, who sent Symonds home to Brisbane following the incident. He was also dropped for the following Australia tour of India.
