"You always wanted to be on the cricket field with him" - Shane Watson pays heartfelt tribute to Andrew Symonds

Paying tribute to the late Andrew Symonds, former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson described him as his favorite teammate. He also termed ‘Roy’ as someone who loved having fun off the field.

Symonds passed away on May 14 following a car accident outside Townsville in Queensland. He was only 46. Tributes have been flowing in for the late Aussie star from all over the cricketing fraternity.

Sharing his thoughts on the latest tragedy in Australian cricket, an emotional Watson said on ‘The Grade Cricketer’ podcast:

“To hear the tragic news of Roy passing away has hit everyone and the Australian cricket community very hard. He was probably my favorite ever teammate that I ever played with. You always wanted to be on the cricket field with him. He was an incredibly skilled cricketer but as a person he always created fun in a team environment, no matter what. But then, he was so incredibly tough on the field. He was unrelenting. We had so many fun times on and off the field with him.”

Symonds played 26 Tests, 198 ODIs and 14 T20Is for Australia from 1998 to 2009. He was part of Australia’s World Cup-winning squads in 2003 and 2007. Apart from being a hard-hitting batter, he was a handy medium pacer, off-spinner, and an exceptional fielder.

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“We are all just shattered” - Watson on Marsh, Warne and Symonds passing away

Shane Watson (left) and Andrew Symonds during the 2006 Champions Trophy. Pic: Getty Images

Watson, who is currently serving as the Delhi Capitals’ (DC) assistant coach in IPL 2022, admitted Australian cricket is going through an extremely tough phase as a few legends have passed away recently. Pouring his heart out, he said:

“We (members of the Australian cricket fraternity) are all just shattered, especially with everything that has happened in the last few months - Rod Marsh and then Shane Warne passing away and now Roy at 46. It’s way too young. I am fortunate to have Ricky Ponting (DC head coach) here to talk to him and try and digest this tragedy. But connecting with some of the boys I played with as well, everyone’s really struggling. We’re never going to get over this. It’s really tragic.”

Before Symonds, Marsh and Warne passed away in early March this year. Marsh passed away at 74, just over a week after suffering a heart attack. Warne died of a suspected heart attack while holidaying in Thailand. He was only 52.