Australia’s former all-rounder Andrew Symonds says the infamous “monkeygate” scandal with India a decade ago drove him to drink as he opened up on Friday on how his life started spiralling out of control.
(File photo) Andrew Symonds and Harbhajan
Canberra:
Singh, who denied any wrongdoing, was suspended for three matches, but the ban was overturned when India threatened to quit the tour in what was a low point in India-Australia cricket relations.
Ten years on and Australian cricket is again reeling from the behaviour of its players after the cheating scandal in South Africa and a review this week slammed both Cricket Australia and the culture of the team.
Symonds continues to insist Harbhajan called him a monkey “probably two or three times”.
“From that moment on that was my downhill slide,” he said.
He said his guilt over the way the process played out took a heavy toll after his teammates were “dragged in” to back up his account of being racially abused.
“I started to drink heavily as a result of it and my life was starting to dissolve around me,” Symonds said.
The big-hitting Australian accused spinner Harbhajan Singh of calling him a “monkey” in the 2008 New Year Test in Sydney.
Singh, who denied any wrongdoing, was suspended for three matches, but the ban was overturned when India threatened to quit the tour in what was a low point in India-Australia cricket relations.
Ten years on and Australian cricket is again reeling from the behaviour of its players after the cheating scandal in South Africa and a review this week slammed both Cricket Australia and the culture of the team.
Symonds continues to insist Harbhajan called him a monkey “probably two or three times”.
“From that moment on that was my downhill slide,” he said.
He said his guilt over the way the process played out took a heavy toll after his teammates were “dragged in” to back up his account of being racially abused.
“I started to drink heavily as a result of it and my life was starting to dissolve around me,” Symonds said.
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