Why was Andrew Symonds called Roy?

One of the most flamboyant cricketers, Andrew Symonds passed away at the age of 46 in a car accident, about 50 kilometers outside Townsville on May 14 night. The whole cricketing fraternity was in shock after hearing the news and he indeed was a big name in the country as well. Symonds was one of the best middle-order batters to have played the game and he made a lot of important contributions to the Australian side in his prime.

Symonds scored 1462 runs in 26 Tests for Australia at an average of 40.61 while he accumulated 5088 runs in 198 ODIs at an average of 39.75. The all-rounder managed to play just 14 T20 internationals but had a massive impact on that scoring 337 runs at an average of 48.14. He also made some incredible fielding efforts in his playing time, especially with his bullet throws inside the circle.

Here’s why Andrew Symonds was called as Roy

Taking of another story related to the Australian great, it is known that Symonds was popularly referred to by the nickname “Roy” and his childhood sports coach was the first to call him by the name. The reason behind his nickname was his likeliness for the former Basketball player Leroy Loggins, who is a former American-Australian Basketballer. Loggins was part of the famous National Basketball League from 1981 and went on to play until 2001.

Symonds made his international debut in 1998 and he had a great impact on the Australian side, especially in the ODI format. He was also a contributor in any department and never strayed away from giving 100 percent on the field. He was also part of two World Cup-winning campaigns for Australia. However, he did face a lot of controversies outside the ground, which affected his cricketing career at the back end.

Apart from the nation, Symonds represented Deccan Chargers and Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League and he was the second most expensive player in the inaugural mega auction in 2008. He also represented Kent, Lancashire, Surrey and Gloucestershire in County Cricket.