Australia has produced many cricketing greats, but none more so than the squad that won the 2007 World Cup. The Ricky Ponting-led side were unbeatable as they marched to their third successive World Cup title, defeating Sri Lanka in the final of the tournament.
As the star cricketers from that era began to call time on their careers, a downfall of sorts began for the Australian team. Over the years, it was also revealed that two of the most important members of that Australian team – Andrew Symonds and Michael Clarke – had a breakdown in their friendship.
In a recent podcast with former pacer Brett Lee in the Brett Lee Podcast (as quoted by Fox Sports), Symonds opened up about their fallout and claims that money could have played a part in it. Ahead of the inaugural Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008, Symonds was the second-most expensive cricketer at the auction (and the most expensive overseas player) when he was bought for Rs 5.4 crore by the erstwhile Deccan Chargers.
“We became close. When he (Clarke) came into the side I used to bat with him a lot. So when he came into the side I really looked after him. That built a bond. Matthew Hayden said to me — when the IPL started, I got a pretty penny to go and play in the IPL — he identified it as there was a bit of jealousy that potentially came into the relationship (with Clarke) there,” Symonds said on the podcast.
“Money does funny things. It’s a good thing but it can be a poison and I reckon it may have poisoned our relationship. I’ve got enough respect for him to probably not go into detail about what was said. My friendship with him is no longer and I’m comfortable with that, but I’m not gonna sit here and start slinging mud," he added.
Earlier, in an autobiography, Clarke had referred to Symonds criticising his captaincy by recalling an incident in 2005 when the Aussie all-rounder "turned up drunk to play for his country."
