An Englishman by origin, Symonds’ skills made an ear-deafening sound when he smashed afirst-class record of 16 sixes in an innings en route to a flamboyant 254 in 1995. It made peopleto sit up and take notice. Born originally in Birmingham to West Indian and European parents,Symonds’ adopted parents took him to Australia. He had the opportunity to represent Englandor even West Indies if he wished to but was adamant to represent Australia although hecontinued to play County cricket along with Sheffield Shield. The limited-overs debut happenedin 1998 but he appeared to be a bits-and-pieces entity on the international stage. Of course hewas more talented than that as shown by his domestic performances but somehow, Symondscouldn’t put it together on the international stage.Over the next few years, Symonds remained in and out of the side due to these reasons untilthe turning point finally arrived – the 2003 World Cup. His selection was heavily debated not onlydue to the sheer volume of inconsistency he had displayed till that point but also because manybelieved that the more experienced Steve Waugh (who had been dropped a year ago from theside) would be the ideal one. However, skipper Ricky Ponting stuck to his guns and Symondsdidn’t disappoint his captain as he went on to have a superb tournament with several invaluableknocks. It was the big break that he badly needed and it’s fair to say that he had established afirm footing in international cricket.Symonds’ limited-overs success saw him earn a Test debut in 2004 but it was a bumpy start ofsorts of him. The first couple of years were tough for him but he gradually got better due to solidbacking from the team management who were looking for a genuine all-rounder. Symondswasn’t exactly that, at least for Test cricket, but had a good few years at that level mostly as abatsman who could provide vital breakthroughs and take stunning catches. However,disciplinary issues continued to haunt him once in a while apart from on-field altercations, thebiggest of them being the infamous Sydney spat with Harbhajan Singh. Attitude problems meantthat Symonds was sent off from the team quite a few times, the last of them being the 2009 T20WC due to alcohol problems. The result was the cancellation of the national contract.The emergence of youth and Symonds’ considerable decline in commitment and attitude meantthat the all-rounder’s career was all but done. He continued to ply his trade in the newly bornIndian Premier League that was formed in 2008 and was among the costliest players of the firstseason. Symonds was picked by Deccan Chargers – a star-studded unit that finished at thebottom of the table but went on to win the title in 2009 with Symonds being one of the keyperformers in the side led by Adam Gilchrist. The rampaging T20 format suited Symonds’ styleto the ‘T’ and the all-rounder enjoyed himself thoroughly in a few other leagues as well beforequitting all forms of cricket in 2012. A thorough entertainer with abundant talent, Symondsdefinitely could have scaled greater heights if he had curbed his flaws which eventually did himin.[10/15, 22:27] SKILL INDIA: Birmingham is a major city in England’s West Midlands region, withmultiple Industrial Revolution-era landmarks that speak to its 18th-century history as amanufacturing powerhouse. It’s also home to a network of canals, many of which radiate fromSherborne Wharf and are now lined with trendy cafes and bars. In the city centre, theBirmingham Museum and Art Gallery is known for pre-Raphaelite masterpieces.Birmingham hasseen 1400 years of growth, during which time it has evolved from a small 7th century AngloSaxon hamlet on the edge of the Forest of Arden at the fringe of early Mercia into a major city. Acombination of immigration, innovation and civic pride helped to bring about major social andeconomic reforms and create the Industrial Revolution, inspiring the growth of similar citiesacross the world.The last 200 years have seen Birmingham rise from market town to thefastest-growing city of the 19th century, spurred on by a combination of civic investment,scientific achievement, commercial innovation and by a steady influx of migrant workers into itssuburbs. By the 20th century Birmingham had become the metropolitan hub of the UnitedKingdom’s manufacturing and automotive industries, having earned itself a reputation first as acity of canals, then of cars, and most recently as a major European convention and shoppingdestination.At the beginning of the 21st century, Birmingham now lies at the heart of a major post-industrialmetropolis surrounded by significant educational, manufacturing, shopping, sporting and