Unforgettable Andrew Symonds moments

The untimely death of Andrew Symonds has left the cricketing world in shock and disbelief. The former Australian player was involved in a car accident late Saturday night (May 14), leading to his tragic demise. He featured in 26 Tests, 198 ODIs, and 14 T20Is for Australia.

The England-born was a beast with the bat, evoking sheer fright in the opponent's mind. He was an electric fielder on the ground; his off-spin and medium-pace bowling added to his dynamic persona. 

Let's relive some of his unforgettable moments from the all-rounders' playing days.

Symonds' blitzkrieg against Pakistan - Still finding his footing in the international arena, Symonds came as a saviour for Ricky Ponting-led Australia in their 2003 World Cup match against Pakistan. Reeling at 86 for 4, he smoked the likes of Wasim Akram, Shoaib Akhtar, and Waqar Younis all over Johannesburg. He scored an unbeaten 143*, where the last 109 came off merely 75 deliveries.

Rise from the Ashes - An ODI specialist, Symonds demonstrated a composed yet fierce side against archrivals England in the Melbourne Test in 2006. Symonds first blunted the English attack, then launched an onslaught, scoring his first red-ball ton. His 220-ball 156 included 15 fours and a six. The knock was overshadowed as the late Shane Warne scalped his 700th victim in the Test.

Bludgeon best vs Sri Lanka - The opposition was Sri Lanka, the year was 2006, and Sydney Cricket Ground - the venue; Symonds pulled off another Symonds. Coming to bat in the third over, the dasher toyed with the Lankan attack; and after scoring his hundred in just 101 balls, he went all hammer and tong, accumulating his subsequent 50 runs in 26 deliveries. It was his fourth ODI ton.

Muscling the streaker - Apart from his cricketing skills, Symonds is known for his rash behaviour. A streaker ran onto the field during an ODI game between Australia and India in 2008. Standing at the non-striker's end, the burly cricketer slammed into the unwanted guest, taking him down instantly. He later admitted that he took the law into his own hands because the police could not catch him.

Love-hate affair with India

SCG 2008- Symonds second Test century came in testing conditions against India in Sydney. Riding his luck, the right-hander scored a career-best of 162* in the first innings and a relatively slow 61 in the second. In the same Test, he alleged that Harbhajan Singh racially abused him, but it wasn't proven despite multiple hearings. Nevertheless, he picked up two wickets on Day 5 that helped Australia win.

IPL bonanza - Despite the' Monkeygate' scandal, Symonds was a hot pick in the inaugural edition of the IPL. Deccan Chargers snapped the all-rounder, having known his T20 performances in the English T20 cup.

The most expensive overseas player of the 2008 season, he rallied to his third T20 hundred in 53 deliveries against the Rajasthan Royals. But, sadly, even this moment was eclipsed by his good mate Warne, who knocked off 17 runs in the last over of the game against Symonds.

All-round show in 2000 - Symonds was a handy bowler for Australia, picking up 141 wickets for them in the white-ball formats. His first notable performance was against India, where he snapped four wickets for 11 runs during the Carlton and United series of 2000, including the prized wicket of Rahul Dravid. He also scored a 32-ball 28* to take his side home after being reduced to 59 for 5.

The fielding anomaly - Symonds has always been up there with the top fielders in the world. His skills from the backward point were unmatched, which even the legendary Jonty Rhodes would be proud of.

Symonds fell off Cricket Australia's radar after his name came up in multiple misconducts. His spell with alcoholism was one of the main reasons the star player faded into the sunset without any swansong. 

The two-time World Cup winner announced his retirement in 2009, having stockpiled 5,088 ODI, 1,462 Test, and 337 T20I runs, apart from racking 165 wickets.