sport news Michael Clarke recalls dodging crocodiles with Andrew Symonds on an outback ... trends now
Former Australian skipper Michael Clarke has shared more anecdotes about his former mate Andrew Symonds, who died in a single-vehicle car crash outside Townsville on Saturday night - including an outback fishing adventure in a croc-infested creek.
The duo were once good friends, but their relationship fractured and was never mended. Clarke had originally posted a single-word tribute to his former mate, simply writing 'devastated'.
Andrew Symonds and Michael Clarke celebrate victory following the ICC Cricket World Cup Super Eights match between Australia and England in 2007
The former Test skipper has also posted another tribute to his former mate on Instagram, saying: 'Opposites attract … I loved nothing more than walking out to play for our country together' with an image of the pair celebrating victory following the ICC Cricket World Cup Super Eights match between Australia and England in 2007.
Clarke returned to his regular gig on The Big Sports Breakfast on Tuesday and recanted the tale of fishing for barramundi with Symonds on the banks of a croc-infested creek in rural Queensland.
'The laughing joke in our team was complete city boy me, complete country boy him and yet we built an amazing connection,' he said.
'We did things I never thought I would experience and wasn’t comfortable doing but with him, [he] made me comfortable.
Clarke with now departed former teammates Shane Warne and Andrew Symonds
'I remember we did a Winnebago trip from Sydney to drive to Brisbane and flew up north to Esmeralda.
'We had two weeks. My job as a city boy was to organise the city trip, the start in Sydney and where we were going to stop along the way to Brissy and then he organised the back half from Brisbane up to Esmeralda.
'Talk about out of your comfort zone, we were fishing for Barra on these banks where there were crocs everywhere and again, no way would I ever do that on my own but with him he just made you feel so comfortable. Some amazing memories.'
The ex-Australian captain's Instagram tribute was accompanied by a warm moment between the two during a One Day International where they shared a smile and a handshake on the pitch.
Symonds was a keen fisherman and spent as much time enjoying his favourite past time as he could, occasionally sharing the experience with mates like his former friend Clarke
There were many such instances across their careers, as the two middle-order batsmen drove Australia to many victories.
Clarke spoke about what a freak of an athlete Symonds was and how his former friend brought out the best in him.
'We just had a really good connection,' Clarke said.
'Some of the things we both enjoyed about batting [were] running between the wickets or even how competitive we were at fielding at training - to try and improve our fielding - brought the best out of me.
'Very fortunate to have spent so much time with him on and off the field, to have played with him, probably the most athletic cricketer I played with.
'Absolute freak of an athlete — speed, power, watching him dive and take a catch, a great fielder as well.'
It is not yet known how Symonds came to grief after his vehicle left the road and rolled about 50km outside of Townsville.
Clarke said the duo would compete on and off the field and that Symonds helped bring out the best in the former Australian cricket captain.
An autopsy has not yet been conducted, with Townsville Acting Chief Superintendent Chris Lawson telling the Townsville Bulletin there was no qualified doctor available in Townsville.
'That will depend on when a doctor can be flown up [to Townsville],' Superintendent Lawson said.
Local Waylon Townson was first on the scene at the crash site and tried to revive Symonds.
'He was stuck in there, so I tried to pull him out to start to do CPR and checked his pulse and that but I didn't get much response from him,' he told Channel 9.
Channel 9 reporter Mia Glover said on Monday morning 'you can see that there’s a lot of brake marks on the road from where his car veered off before it eventually rolled'.
'At this stage police still have no idea why he left the road.
'One rumour that’s going around by locals is he may have swerved to miss an animal but everything’s under investigation at the moment.'
Symonds and Clarke share a candid moment ahead of the 2006 Boxing Day Test
The duo were devastating together in the middle order of the Aussie ODI team
Clarke had the best seat in the house for Symonds' greatest One Day International knock of 156 that included 12 boundaries and eight sixes at a strike rate of 122.83.
He was at the other end for much of that knock as the duo put on 220 runs for the fifth wicket against New Zealand in 2005.
Symonds had failed in the two Tests against West Indies before the ODI series and was facing media scrutiny. So he took out his frustrations against the Black Caps alongside his good mate at the time.
They fell just three runs short of the highest ever fifth wicket partnership at the time set by Indian batsmen Mohammad Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja against Sri Lanka.
Clarke and Symonds celebrate winning the 2006/07 Ashes after victory in the fifth and final Test against England at the SCG in Sydney
The duo also shared a moment together on the field during the 2005/06 VB Series between Australia, Sri Lanka and South Africa when Symonds was dismissed under bizarre circumstances.
He punched the ball straight back down the ground off the bowling of Sri Lankan off-spinner Jehan Mubarak. However, the ball collided with Clarke, despite his efforts to get out of the way, spooning up for Sri Lankan captain Tillakaratne Dilshan to take the easiest of catches.
As Symonds walked off the field, he gestured to Clarke and said, 'You owe me a beer, mate.'
'Hope @MClarke23 bought him the drink he owed,' cricket fan Shekhar Gurung posted on Twitter.
'I certainly did,' Clarke replied with a broken heart emoji.
Clarke and Symonds pose with the ICC World Cup trophy in the changing rooms after the final between Australia and Sri Lanka at the Kensington Oval on April 28, 2007
A cricket fan who used to live next door to Symonds also said Clarke was found passed out on his mate's driveway after a big night together. Clarke shared the anecdote on Twitter with another broken heart emoji.
'I was fortunate enough to live next door to Andrew Symonds when he first cracked the Aussie side. There wouldn't be a weekend go by without a knock at the door at all hours of the day or night wanting a bed as he'd lost his keys to his house,' the fan posted.
'Or he'd want the missus to iron a shirt or lend him a belt as he was going out. I remember early one morning as I left for work I stumbled upon @MClarke23 asleep [pre-captaincy] on the driveway after a few too many waters the night before.'
However, the first significant cracks in their friendship appeared in the 2007-08 India-Australia Test series held in Australia when the infamous 'Monkeygate' scandal broke.
Symonds and Singh had many battles on the pitch, but would later become friends and teammates in the Indian Premier League
Symonds alleged that Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh had referred to him as a 'monkey' in a heated altercation. India argued that the controversial spinner had said, 'Teri ma ki' [your mother's], which is a slur in Hindi.
Clarke famously won that Test in Sydney in the final over of the day, but Symonds said his mate had failed to have his back when the matter was hauled before match referee Mike Procter.
'The stump microphone evidence disappeared. It was just one thing after another. That weighed heavily on me. I started drinking heavily. I had the Australian Captain Ricky Ponting backing me. Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden backed me. They were good
