'He tore his bicep while batting' - Ricky Ponting recalls Andrew Symonds' commitment towards Australian team

The untimely death of former Australian cricketer Andrew Symonds, who passed away in a car crash, sent shockwaves around the cricketing world. The tragedy left the whole country reeling from such a loss. Ricky Ponting, who was present at the funeral, and a private memorial service on Friday (May 27) at the Riverway Stadium, shared incidents from his time with Symonds.

Symonds’s tragic death was the 3rd such incident in the last three months, with former wicketkeeper-batter Rod Marsh and bowling icon Shane Warne passing away within 24 hours in March. Ricky Ponting was joined by Adam Gilchrist, Michael Clarke, Jimmy Maher, Allan Border, Darren Lehmann, and Ian Healy as they paid respects to ‘Roy’; as he was known to his peers.

Adam Gilchrist broke into tears as he was paying tribute to his former teammate and two-time World Cup winner. Gilchrist hugged the devastated wife of the late cricketer in an attempt to comfort her while he himself could not hold back his tears.

Ricky Ponting reveals unheard annecdote involving Andrew Symond’s dedication to the Australian Team

The former Australian all-rounder was known for his grit and toughness on the pitch. Apart from being a hard-hitting batter, Symonds was electric in the field, especially in the 30-yard circle, where he would run out batters by hitting the bull’s eye on countless occasions. His former captain, Ricky Ponting, shared an incident of Symond’s determination before the 2007 World Cup.

“In a one-day series in Australia before we left for the 2007 World Cup, he tore his bicep while he was batting. We had the World Cup a couple of weeks later. Roy was trying to bat with one arm. He called the physio up, pulled his shirt (sleeves) and his whole bicep had basically dropped to the elbow joint. He told the physio, “Just push my bicep up a bit, put a tape around it and I’ll be fine!” Ponting revealed, drawing laughter from the people present in the memorial.

“History said that he was the player we knew could win us the World Cup with his own bat. His work ethic was always there. He had his ups and downs with his fitness, but some of the work he did to be a part of the World Cup was incredible,” the former Australia skipper added.