The shoulder charge

'Just like football'

In the second CB Series final, Andrew Symonds taught a streaker a hard lesson. A selection of what people had to say about the incident

ESPNcricinfo staff

March 6, 2008

Text size: A | A



None of your cheek © AFP
Enlarge
 

"I'd definitely like to have a tackle like that on my resumé. And I don't think that streaker will be running onto cricket grounds any more."
Sonny Bill Williams of the Canterbury Bulldogs, considered the greatest exponent of the shoulder charge in rugby league, approves wholeheartedly

"I reckon it was awesome. It's the best hit I've seen for ages. We should sign him up."
Willie Mason of the Sydney Roosters sure enjoyed it

"He didn't drive through properly. He didn't finish the tackle off." Trevor "The Axe" Gillmeister, former Queensland rower isn't overly pleased with Symonds' technique, though

"Would he have done the same if the streaker was a woman?"
Navjot Sidhu raises a rhetorical question on a TV show

"It was great actually ... it was just like playing football."
Robert Murray David Ogilvie, the masochist streaker himself, is unrepentant

"I only saw it live and it looked like the guy was running at him, and Andrew to some extent tried to protect himself."
Stuart Clark stands up for his team-mate

"He [Symonds] was dealing with self-preservation, which we support 100 percent. Andrew was in the zone and was severely threatened."
Michael Brown, Cricket Australia's spokesperson, goes very slightly over the top

"It'd just be an absurdity if he was prosecuted for assault because he took firm but reasonable and proportionate action to deal with someone who was invading the pitch at a particularly difficult time of the match."
Terry O'Gorman from the Council for Civil Liberties is relieved Symonds wasn't charged

"He could have done some injury to Andrew Symonds, because he seemed to run straight at him and all of a sudden he is on his back."
Richie Benaud, who was live on air for Channel 9, thinks Symonds had fair cause too

"No. Wake up to yourself."
Ogilvie is surprisingly realistic when asked if he will press charges

"I'd just got out, so I was sooking. I haven't seen it yet. There's been a bit of talk and laughter around the dressing room, but I haven't spoken to Symmo about it"
Ricky Ponting had more pressing concerns at the time

"The Indians are on to something with their Symonds obsession. The land of gurus and enlightenment know that we have a cricketer so neanderthal that he should sleep in a cage."
Garth Montgomery the Sydney Daily Telegraph's blogs editor stands up for the naked underdog

© ESPN EMEA Ltd.

FeedbackTop
Email Feedback Print
Share
E-mail
Feedback
Print
ESPNcricinfo staffClose

    The mysterious Mr Narine

Bought as a rookie for an eye-popping fee, Sunil Narine and his knuckle ball have delivered in the IPL. Next up? Watch out, Test cricket. By Nagraj Gollapudi

Young quick with lower back pain?

Bone stress injuries cannot be taken lightly - they have ended many careers and put others on hold, says Andrew Leipus

Someone smiling on Sammy

Mark Nicholas describes how Darren Sammy finally brought up his first Test century

    A pretty good day to be a 'Sam'

Two Chucks: Darren Sammy shuts everyone up, England bowlers look knackered, and what fans think of Nick Knight

Better win than be second favourites

Kimber: WI need to do more than just challenge teams

News | Features Last 7 days

Six Indian IPL players to watch out for

Four young batsmen and two medium-pacers should be on the selectors' radar

Free-spenders can't buy consistency

Despite splashing money this season, Mumbai Indians were rarely at the top of their game and most of their wins came through last-over heists

The madness of benching Morne Morkel

To make up for Irfan Pathan's absence, Delhi Daredevils made two changes, one of which was leaving out Morne Morkel. And that made a significant difference

Narine's remarkable season

Analysis of individual batting and bowling performances in IPL 2012

The best batsman in Twenty20 cricket

Chris Gayle has scored 2591 runs in this format in the last 17 months, at an average of 57 and a strike rate of 170. No other batsman comes close

News | Features Last 7 days
  • Cricinfo Widgets
Sponsored Links

Watch Bollywood movies for free

Transfer Money. Apply Online Now!

Access your Indian Rupee earnings from anywhere in the world.

on registering and transfer of USD 250 and above.

Available now at Cricshop