Former Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds, who passed away on 14 May 2022 in a tragic road accident, will have a cricket stadium named after him. The cricket stadium is in the hometown of Townsville. The Townville City Council has decided to celebrate the late 46-year-old cricketer’s legacy by renaming the Riverway Cricket Stadium in his memory.
Townsville Councillor Maurie Soars shed light on the popular Australian cricketer’s impact off the field as he used to work for the benefit of his juniors and local cricketers.
Maurie Soars has quoted saying “The work he did around here with the juniors and the local cricket scene was beyond comparison and he did without a voice. He did not want to take away or distracted from the efforts that were being provided.”
Andrew Symonds was born on 9 June 1975, Symonds was an adopted child by parents Ken and Barbara at three months old. He spent the early stages of his childhood in Charters Tower in Northern Queensland, he used to play all kinds of games from an early age and Andrew even stated once that “Dad was cricket mad. He’d throw balls to me five or six days a week, before school, and after school.” He played most of his junior cricket in Townsville for the Wanderers club.
Symonds was an aggressive batsmen right-hand batsman, who could also bowl medium pass or off spin making him an excellent all-rounder. He was a key member of two world cup-winning squads. Andrew was also known for his amazing fielding skills during his generation.
After mid-2008, Andrew spent a crucial amount of time away from the team due to disciplinary reasons, including alcohol. After many other incidents Australian administrators would no longer tolerate him, and he would eventually retire from all forms of cricket in February 2012.
The Riverway Stadium has so far hosted just two international matches between Hong Kong and Papua New Guinea. But now the stadium will see some action as it is set to host the upcoming series between Australia and Zimbabwe later this month in a three-match ODI series.
