Former Australia allrounder Andrew Symonds’ wife has spoken of her family’s devastation and grief following her husband’s tragic death. Symonds passed away aged 46 following a car accident that took place on Saturday night. The accident took place about 50 kilometers outside Townsville, Queensland where Symonds was living after retiring from the game. According to a statement from Queensland police, ‘the car was being driven on Hervey Range Road, near Alice River Bridge when it left the roadway and rolled’.
He is survived by wife Laura and young children Chloe and Billy. Laura and the kids flew from Sydney to Townsville upon hearing the devastating news. Speaking to Courier Mail, Laura expressed her grief over the tragic loss, saying that the family is in shock. She was also quick to mention the kids, stating that she keeps thinking about them. Speaking about her husband, she said that he was ‘an extremely chilled operator’ and ‘always had time for everyone’.
“We are still in shock – I’m just thinking of the two kids. He was such a big person and there is just so much of him in his kids,” said Laura before adding: “Nothing stressed him out. He was an extremely chilled operator. So practical. He was never good with his phone but he always had time for everyone.”
Andrew Symonds’ glittering career:
While Andrew Symonds’ career was marred by several controversies, he managed to make a name for himself with his performances on the field. The former cricketer was one of the best allrounders in the game in 2000s. He was a part of the Australian team that won the 50-over World Cup in 2003 and 2007. Born in England’s Birmingham, Symonds made his debut for Australia in 1998. Symonds represented his national team in 26 Tests, 198 One-Day Internationals and 14 T20Is. In Tests, he scored 1462 runs at an average of 40.61 and picked up 24 wickets with his handy off-spin and medium-pace bowling. In ODIs, he scored 5088 runs and took 133 wickets.