sport news How Andrew Symonds was brought to Australia after being adopted as a baby trends now
Australian cricket great Andrew Symonds was a country boy at heart whose passion for hunting and fishing remained with him until his death at the age of 46.
Symonds died after his car left the road and rolled at Hervey Range, west of Townsville on Queensland's east coast, at 10.30pm on Saturday.
News of his death rocked the cricket world and sparked an outpouring of grief from the sporting world who remembered his stellar rise from humble beginnings.
His love for cricket was matched by his country boyhood passions for pig hunting, fishing and camping trips, and he was dumped from the Australian side in 2008 after he missed a team meeting to go fishing.
Andrew Symonds on his final Father's Day last year with his children Billy and Chloe. He died in a car crash late on Saturday night
The star created a legacy as one of the best all-rounders in some of Australia's greatest teams, as well as being regarded as the best fielder in the world at the peak of his powers
Affectionately known as 'Roy' because his juniors coach thought he resembled Brisbane NBL star Leroy Loggins, he was one of the sport's most entertaining stars.
Symonds was born in Birmingham, UK, on June 9, 1975, to Afro-Caribbean and Swedish or Danish parents, but given up for adoption as a baby.
He was adopted by Ken and Barbara Symonds, who worked as schoolteachers when he was three months old.
They emigrated to Australia soon after and the family lived in country Victoria before moving to Charters Towers in Far North Queensland.
Symonds' British birth and his Afro-Caribbean background meant he could have played for England or the West Indies, but Australia was always going to be his first and only choice.
Symonds was one of the most influential sportsmen right up until his sudden death at the age of 46 (pictured, Symonds at the Carlton and United on day international at the Gabba in 2000)
Symonds did not take long to adapt to the rough-and-tumble Australian lifestyle and quickly fell in love with pig hunting and fishing trips out in the bush
His first exposure to cricket came from his father, who was obsessed with the sport.
'Dad was cricket mad,' Symonds previously said. 'He'd throw balls to me five or six days a week, before school, after school.
'And we'd play all sorts of games inside the house with ping-pong balls and Christmas decorations.'
Symonds played his first organised cricket for the Townsville Wanderers junior club, with his dad driving him 270km twice a week to training and matches.
Later his family moved to the Gold Coast where he studied at All Saints Anglican School in Merrimac while his parents worked at the school.
Symonds made his debut for the Queensland state team in 1994 and in as little as four years he skyrocketed to the global stage of cricket.
He made his international debut playing for the Australian team during the One Day International against Pakistan in 1998.
He was then called in to play Australia's opening match in the 2003 Cricket World Cup after an injury forced Shane Watson onto the bench.
His cricket prowess took him overseas where he played for four different counties in his birth country: Gloucestershire, Kent, Lancashire, and Surrey.
