Andrew Symonds death: how did Australian cricketer die, who was his wife, Roy nickname and car crash explained

The Australia all-rounder was involved in an incident on Saturday evening.
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Former Australia cricketer Andrew Symonds has died at the age of 46 after being involved in a car crash.

The all-rounder was a regular international between 1998 and 2009, featuring in 26 Tests, 198 one-day internationals and 14 Twenty20s for his country.

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News broke of Symonds’ tragic passing on Saturday night, with Queensland police stating that early information indicated Symonds’ car had “left the roadway and rolled”.

A further statement added: “Emergency services attempted to revive the 46-year-old driver and sole occupant, however, he died of his injuries.

“The forensic crash unit is investigating.”

How did Andrew Symonds die?

Symonds was involved in a car accident at around 10.30pm on Saturday evening in Hervey Range, 50km west of Townsville in far north Queensland, Australia.

While details of the incident remain few at this stage, a statement from local authorities suggested that the 46-year-old’s vehicle had “left the roadway and rolled”.

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Attempts to revive the former international were unsuccessful.

Who was his wife?

The 46-year-old is survived by his wife Laura and their two children Chloe, 9, and Billy, 7.

Mr and Mrs Symonds were married in 2014.

Why was Symonds nicknamed ‘Roy’?

The cricketer was given the nickname during his childhood, after his sports coach began calling him ‘Roy’ due to his likeliness to former basketball player Leroy Loggins.

Leroy is an American-Australian ex-basketballer who feature in the National Basketball League between 1981 to 2001.

Who did Andrew Symonds play for?

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Symonds played county cricket in the UK for Gloucestershire, Kent, Lancashire and Surrey.

The all-rounder also played 17 seasons for Queensland, and for Deccan Chargers and Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League.

Born in Birmingham, but raised in Australia, Symonds turned down the opportunity to play for England A earlier in his career, and made his ODI debut for the Aussies in 1998.

Symonds, who could bowl off-spin or medium pace, scored 5,088 runs at an average of 39.75 and also took 133 wickets in ODI action.

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He also scored his two Test hundreds, including one in the Boxing Day Ashes Test of 2006, hitting 156 as Australia won by an innings and 99 runs in Melbourne.

What has been said about Symonds’ passing?

In the aftermath of Saturday’s tragic news, there has been an outpouring of grief in tribute to a hugely popular figure.

Cricket Australia said it was “shocked and saddened by the news”.

The governing body’s chair Lachlan Henderson said: “Australian cricket has lost another of its very best. Andrew was a generational talent who was instrumental in Australia’s success at World Cups and as part of Queensland’s rich cricket history.

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“He was a cult figure to many who was treasured by his fans and friends.”

CEO Nick Hockley added: “Andrew was a much-loved and admired cricketer in Australia and around the world.

“He was a prodigious talent from an early age in Queensland with his clean ball-striking ability, shrewd spin bowling and brilliant fielding.

“He will be sadly missed by the Australian cricket community and particularly his very close friends at the Queensland Bulls where he was a popular and much-admired team-mate and friend.

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“Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this devastatingly sad time.”

A number of Symonds’ peers, including former Australia wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist and fast bowler Jason Gillespie, former England captain Michael Vaughan, and Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar also paid their respects

Symonds’ wife Laura told the Brisbane Courier Mail: “We are still in shock - I’m just thinking of the two kids.”

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