A look at Andrew Symonds' prominent records and achievements

On May 15, the former Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds passed away at the age of 46 in a car crash outside Townsville. He made his international debut in an ODI against Pakistan in November 1998 and earned his baggy green in 2004. Additionally, he made his T20I debut in the first-ever T20 international match in 2005, between Australia and New Zealand. He played a key role in Australia’s title victories in the 2003 and 2007 World Cups with his impactful batting and useful bowling performances.

The all-rounder went on to feature in 26 Tests, 198 ODIs, and 14 T20Is and amassed a total of 6887 runs alongside scalping 165 wickets. His last international appearance was in a T20I fixture against Pakistan in May 2009. Thereafter, he was a part of T20 leagues like the IPL and the BBL. Here are some of Symonds’ records and achievements in his career spanning more than 10 years.

1. World record for 20 years

Prior to making his international debut, Symonds hit a record 16 sixes in a single innings for Gloucestershire in a first-class fixture against Glamorgan, and fetched 254* off 206. However, this record was broken after 20 years in 2015 when Colin Munro hit 23 sixes during his innings of 281 for Auckland against Central Districts.

2. 5000+ runs and 100+ wickets in ODIs 

The 46-year-old remained only one of the three Australian players to score more than 5000 runs (5088) and take over 100 wickets (133) in the ODI format. His top score of 156 in this format came against New Zealand in December 2005.

3. Second-highest individual score in an ODI inning at number six

In the 2003 World Cup fixture against Pakistan, Symonds came in at a precarious situation with the top-order failing to give a good start. However, he had a different plan and smashed 143* off 125 balls, which helped Australia to win the match by 82 runs, and ultimately the World Cup as well.

4. Only Australian player to register a double of 250 runs and 10 wickets in ODI series

The all-rounder is part of a group of just a few players from Australia to achieve the feat of 250 runs and 10 wickets in an ODI series on two occasions. In the VB series 2003/04, Symonds scored 349 runs and took 10 wickets in nine appearances. He followed it up in the 2005/06 edition of the VB Series itself by contributing 389 runs and 11 wickets, and was named as Player of the Series as well.

5. Most expensive overseas player in Indian Premier League 2008 auction

After doing well in both departments in the 2007 ODI and T20 World Cups, Symonds attracted huge interest from the franchises in IPL 2008 auction. In the end, the now-defunct Deccan Chargers availed his services for a whopping amount of $1.35 million, which was more than five times his base price. He emerged as the most expensive overseas player and the second costliest buy in the auction after MS Dhoni. Meanwhile, in IPL 2009, Symonds was part of the title-winning Deccan Chargers team, scoring 249 runs and took seven wickets.