Who could forget Andrew Symonds’ impressive shoulder charge to flatten a streaker during an ODI clash agauinst India at the Gabba in 2008?
The tough Aussie all-rounder dropped his shoulder when the fan got a little too close at the non-striker’s end, sending him to the ground and making an arrest that much easier for the pursuing police.
What the unfortunate nudie probably didn’t realise at the time was that Symonds – now a commentator for Fox Sports during the current T20 series betyween Australia and India – had prior form.
Footage has been unearthed from 11 years earlier of Symonds taking down a pitch invader (he had cargo shorts on so he’s not technically a streaker) during a domestic one-day game between Queensland and Western Australia at the WACA in 1997.
At the same venue that Terry Alderman fell and hurt himself badly trying to tackle a pitch invader in 1981, Symonds pushed any thought of personal injury aside to bring the interrupting fan down with an impressive tackle.
After a brief tussle the offending fan got up and evaded Symonds’ second attempt and escaped into the crowd, something 21 years later Symonds lamented.
It’s no wonder Broncos coach Wayne Bennett was interested when Symonds sounded out the super coach of the possibility of switching to rugby league.
