It was a slip of the tongue, but Ricky Ponting inadvertently said goodbye to Andrew Symonds’ family and friends, from the cricket world and beyond, to the former Test and white ball star in Townsville on Friday.
After a private service early Friday, fans and Cricket A-listers joined a public service at the Riverway Stadium in Townsville.
The service also featured a four-way chat between Australian cricket legends Ian Healy, Adam Gilchrist, Darren Lehmann and Ponting.
Ponting only came back from his IPL promise in India, reflecting that they had prevented him from taking part in a similar tribute to Shane Warne and Rod Marsh during a devastating period of loss for Australian cricket.
Healy asked Ponting how he was?
“The last three months have been very difficult for the cricket-loving people,” said Ponting.
“It’s incredibly difficult, everyone has done a wonderful job today that is really a delight – not a delight – a great opportunity to be here and hear some stories from us and his close associates.”
Oddly enough, Ponting was right. The Symonds character was like that, lots of funny stories and bringing them back and rejoicing in his character brought great warmth to the service. Considering the catastrophic catalyst for the event, fans were in the mood to spot, wearing many cricket shirts and ginseng lips to pay homage to the character bigger than life – saying goodbye after his death in a car accident last month at the age of 46.
“The service was simply beautiful,” said Gilli, referring to a previous personal matter. “Absolutely, it was full of sorrow, but such a wonderful memory of a man who unconditionally gave so much to so many people.”
Lehmann was asked about her favorite moment with Symonds on the tour. “Not Cardiff,” he joked, referring to the day when Symonds got drunk before playing against Bangladesh in 2005.
“Oh, he was hard to coach,” Lehmann added. “It simply came to our notice then. Which side to pick first. I think he was the bet player I coached and it’s no disrespect to the Adam I coached.
“He puts the team first in everything and has done so in his life. We’ll all miss him – though I won’t miss him for calling me Daryl every time instead of Darren.
“It was a pleasure coaching him the way he took it. He was a great person to be around and we will miss him very much. “
Ricky Ponting and Andrew Symonds (Getty Images)
Gilchrist said he first met Symonds at the State Colts game. The former Australian keeper said Symonds had high expectations from an early age.
“He was on the radar of all the talent spotters,” Gilly said. “His reputation was so great. Then came the phone call to England. It was a difficult journey for him. I know that as a shield opponent of WA we would give him a hard time because he is very talented. We told you that you did not justify your place but that he worked hard and fought and fought.
“His skill level was exceptional. We talk so much about him as a person that we forget to talk about the level of cricketer he was.
Healy said Symonds was “known as a cold-blooded character, but he was nothing.”
Gilly added: “Success and fun – he can find balance there.
“He was determined never to back down on the field. He set high standards, had high expectations of himself, and he hoped his teammates would achieve what they could.
“She knew in that look that he had failed her. And he called them, he was honest, so ruthlessly honest.
“All the intensity on the field brought a great feeling of enjoyment and he was just joking.
“Much of this comes from a culture of the Queensland team that all other states were jealous of. It was so much together when you played for the Queensland team that it was like an extra player. “
Maher joined the stage and told the audience: “His loyalty, as everyone said, was the thing for me. And for me, his ability to be there and recognize a difficult time জিনিস these are things I will remember more than anything else.
Andrew Symonds (Getty Images).
“He is very loyal, skeptical, creative, funny. Incredible and reliable at the same time. Charming, abrupt, complex yet complex. High maintenance and low maintenance at once. “
Suffering from gastroenteritis on Friday, Ponting revealed that he went to scratch almost late.
As he lay in bed wondering if he could get it out, “I heard these words ring in my head, ‘Get up, get down there, what’s wrong with your stomach?’ He laughed.
Ponting says Symonds is a “great guy, a great teammate.”
“If I pick a team tomorrow for a Test, an ODI or a T20, he will be in my team every day of the week,” Ponting said.
“You just knew that if you gave him some simple instructions, he would not leave a stone unturned.
“He wanted the best for the team. He would do anything if it meant saving one run or giving his teammates a better chance of winning the game. Many blokes playing with you can not say about that. He did it every time. “
The hero of Australia’s 2003 World Cup win, Symonds, has been a reflection of Ponting since the end of the day.
“We were very good friends and probably didn’t have enough time to spend together after the game,” Ponting said.
“It’s cricket. I think a tragedy in international cricket is that you spend 10 months a year with these guys for 10-15 years, you finish the game and you don’t see each other.
“The biggest tragedy that has happened to me in the last few months, and the lessons of life, is that I’m not good at communicating with people, and I’ve learned a lot from that,” said Ponting.
“We had a lot of great days together on the field but you shared a lot when you were out on the field with these guys for so long.”