Star Australian cricketer and a World Cup wwinner Andrew Symonds dies in car accident

Former Australian Test cricketer Andrew Symonds died in a car accident in Queensland, Australian media reported on Sunday. Andrew Symonds is a former Australian all rounder who has played 26 Tests and 198 ODIs and was a crucial member of two World Cup-winning Australian teams in 2003 and 2007.

Symonds played for Queensland for 17 seasons and was player of the match in the 2002 Pura Cup final. He also played for Gloucestershire, Kent, Lancashire and Surrey in the English County Championship and for now-defunct Deccan Chargers and Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League. The Queenslander was a larger-than-life personality who gained a wide fan base during his peak years for his hard-hitting skills.

Andrew Symonds was traveling across the Hervey Range Road near Alice River Bridge when his car left the road and overturned just after 11 p.m. local time, according to police. Residents in the neighborhood were the first to arrive at the scene and call for assistance.

However, he died at the scene despite several attempts to revive him. Gavin Oates, Townsville Acting Inspector, said the cause of the crash was not known. 

In the meantime, Symonds' family is still reeling from the news. "We're still in shock – I'm just thinking of the two kids," Symonds' wife Laura told The Courier-Mail. "He was such a big person, and his children have so much of him."

Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley said that Andrew was a much-loved and admired cricketer in Australia and around the world. He was a prodigious talent from an early age in Queensland with his clean ball-striking ability, shrewd spin bowling and brilliant fielding.