Andrew Symonds Says IPL Money Ruined Friendship With Michael Clarke

When they used to play together for Australia, Michael Clarke and Andrew Symonds shared a great bond. Things, however, took a drastic turn when Symonds threw a drink on Clarke during the Caribbean tour. 

This was the first crack that appeared in the friendship. Symonds later revealed that he was hurt by Clarke’s comment about him being a selfish person. “Our friendship was destroyed at that moment,” he remarked during an episode of Cricket Legends.

Andrew Symonds then publicly criticised Clarke for his leadership skills during an Ashes tour. In response to this, Clarke wrote in his book, Ashes Diary 2015: “This is a guy who turned up drunk to play for his country. It’s pretty rich for him to be throwing rocks.”

When Clarke was filling in as the captain in Ricky Ponting’s absence, Symonds was once sent back home for skipping a team meeting. The all-rounder felt he was let down by his best friend, but Clarke always maintained that he did what was right for the entire team. 

While speaking to Brett Lee, Symonds said that the IPL contract further poisoned their relationship. The Australian all-rounder was acquired by the now-defunct Deccan Chargers for INR 5.4 crore in the inaugural edition of the IPL. He was the most expensive overseas player that season.

“Money does funny things. It’s a good thing but it can be a poison and I reckon it may have poisoned our relationship,” he said.

Symonds later played for Mumbai Indians, and was instrumental in their maiden championship triumph.

“I’ve got enough respect for him to probably not go into detail about what was said. My friendship with him is no longer and I’m comfortable with that, but I’m not gonna sit here and start slinging mud,” Andrew Symonds added.