Andrew Symonds and Michael Clarke were important members of the Australian cricket team during their time as active cricketers. Both players made good contributions to the batting and the bowling department, thereby helping Australia win several matches. However, the relationship between the two players is not so good.
In a recent chat with former Australian cricket team fast bowler Brett Lee on his podcast, Andrew revealed that the reason why his friendship with Michael Clarke is not the same because he allegedly was jealous of the IPL salary that Symonds received.
Here’s what Symonds had to say about his IPL salary and Clarke’s reaction to it:
“Matthew Hayden told me – when the IPL started, I got a lot of money to play in the IPL – he pointed it out because there was a bit of jealousy that was probably there (with Clarke). Came into the relationship.”
Symonds was a star performer for the Deccan Chargers and the Mumbai Indians in the IPL. On the other side, Michael Clarke played only one season in his Indian Premier League career. He represented Pune Warriors in that tournament. As per reports, Symonds was signed for a massive USD 1.35 million by Deccan Chargers in the inaugural IPL season.
Money does funny things: Andrew Symonds talks about his friendship with Michael Clarke
In the same interview, Symonds mentioned that money is a good thing, but it can act as a poison for some friendships.
“Money does funny things. It’s a good thing but it can be a poison and I reckon it may have poisoned our relationship.”
Symonds also mentioned that when Michael Clarke first joined the Australian cricket team, they both batted together on many occasions and formed a good bonding. However, after the Indian Premier League, Symonds and Clarke’s friendship has not been the same.
