Lucky to be given not out: Symonds

By IANS

Sydney : Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds admitted Wednesday that he should have been out long before he scored his second Test century on the first day of the second Test match against India at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) here Wednesday.


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“I was very lucky. I was out when I was 30, given not out,” he told reporters after the close of play. “That’s cricket though. I can sit here and tell you about my bad decisions as well, but I won’t. That’s the game. It’s just one of those things,” said Hayden after scoring 137 to guide Australia to 376 for seven on the first day.

Symonds was caught behind off Ishant Sharma when he was on 30 and got another reprieve when he was let off on 48 when the third umpire, Australian Bruce Oxenford, turned down a stumping appeal off Anil Kumble. TV replays showed his foot was in the air when Mahendra Singh Dhoni whipped off the bails

The burly player defended the umpires by saying: “You’ve got to keep the human element in there. It creates a different feel.

“I don’t think every decision needs to be referred to the third umpire. There’s ways to improve it, but let’s not push and prod it too much. It’s a great game. People make mistakes, players make mistakes every day, and umpires make mistakes, too. It’s how you handle them and how you keep going after those mistakes are made.”

Both Hayden and Hogg (79), who hit his maiden half-century, played stellar roles to revive Australia from a tottering 134 for six to a close-of-play score of 376 for seven by adding 137 runs for the sixth wicket.

“It’s always a great feeling to score a hundred. It’s a feeling of satisfaction. But it’ll mean more to me if we can have a good result in the Test and I can look back and think I’ve contributed to a win,” he said.

“A first-innings score of 400 runs will be very healthy. I suppose it puts us in a position from where, we hope, we wouldn’t lose the game,” he said.

Hogg was also elated and said: “When I went out to bat, it was a situation where you can be a hero or zero, but luckily at the end of the day, it turned out to be the former. It was fantastic to get a partnership at that stage. We (me and Symonds) were just enjoying our batting out there.”

The 37-year-old Western Australian spinner lauded Symonds for his wonderful batting display and said he is a great package for Australia.

“Symonds is a great character. He is terrific cricketer in all departments of the game. He is a great package that we have in our possession,” he said.

The spinner said that representing Australia in Test cricket was the biggest dream of his life and he is happy to have achieved that, even if somewhat later than what he had expected.

“I enjoy bowling anywhere under the baggy green. I love to represent my country and I am happy to cement my place in the squad at this age,” said Hogg, who made his Test debut during Australia’s 1996 tour to India.

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