There's something about Andrew Symonds. He’s been the most talked about cricketer on this tour and his deeds during the Sydney Test match have curbed the cricketer in him. Opinions back home can be divided on this, but Symonds is still the most loveable character in Australia — and the story of ‘Roy’ is already a bestseller on the stands.There’s one man who can detail the entire making of Andrew Symonds — his coach Toot Bryon explains the little cricketer who was first discovered at 14, was a prodigy by 16 and a superstar soon after. Bryon knows him from his early days at Queensland’s junior cricket academy and still remains the most influential person in Symonds’ cricket career. Even his most telling knock in the recent Sydney Test came after last-minute consultations with Byron on his top-hand grip. “He’s a wonderful character, a gifted cricketer and a lovely friend of mine,” says Bryon.Bryon provides an interesting bit of observation of young Symonds. “I would say the hardest thing for young Symonds was to realise for himself how good he was. I understood that when at 15 he smashed a double century against South Australia. That was a magnificent knock and at that stage when you are so young it’s very difficult to reconcile to the player he was. “I am talking about 1990 and he was already a prodigy for Australian cricket — it was difficult for him to understand and come to terms with all this when he was still going to school and stayed with mum and dad. Little Symonds faced this biggest difficultly,” says Bryon, adding that he really enjoyed his coaching stint with him. Symonds was a very dedicated player and he was naturally gifted at sports. He used to be good at every sport he played because he was so naturally well-coordinated and had a great passion for sport,” he says. The coach himself is not a big believer in over-emphasising techniques. “I am not a slave to technique, I would rather recognise the talent, nurture the best and allow a player to be himself. I didn’t ever try to correct his technique or alter his playing style. Symonds always loved to dominate. At times, these things have their own pitfalls, but if you keep looking left and then right, you will never be able to get to the other side of the road. There were times when I used to squirm at his batting because he used to play shots that you normally don’t, but I always allowed Symonds to be himself and never reprimand him on his shots. Of late, he’s been criticised about his shot selection but I think that’s a bit unfair because that’s the way he plays his cricket.”Bryon remembers how Symonds was different from the other boys. “We wouldn’t like to knock too many balls before going to bat, he would warm up hitting six balls and then he will know that he’s ready. He always wanted to play shots that the other people won’t play and get the perfection. Symonds had a great understanding of the game and he’s had good belief in himself and that belief has grown as he’s become older and mature,” says Bryon. Of course, all the incidents in the past week have left him worried. Bryon reiterates that Symonds is a lovely bloke. “Did he talk to you? He’s a nice man, I tell you. What has happened was really sad, I know. Symonds is always smiling and his dedication to the game has never flinched. Bryon can speak volumes about Symonds but he won’t tell just one little thing — how to get him out. Perhaps that’s for the Indian team to figure out, and the sooner they do it, the better for them in this tri-srries.
