The Ashes 2021-22: Andrew Symonds opens up on ‘hot mic’ regrets, Marnus apology

Andrew Symonds was mortified when he was caught criticising Marnus Labuschagne with Shane Warne on commentary. Here’s how the Australian legends handled the fallout.

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA – APRIL 18: Marnus Labuschagne and Michael Neser of Queensland celebrate victory during day four of the Sheffield Shield Final match between Queensland and New South Wales at Allan Border Field on April 18, 2021 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

It was the forgiving motherly hug that took the weight off Andrew Symonds’ guilty conscience and further enhanced his belief Marnus Labuschagne is a Test match leader in the making.

Symonds feared he might lose his job at Fox Cricket when he and Shane Warne were caught on a hot mic at the SCG last summer making unsavoury comments about Labuschagne which made their way online.

Mortified, Symonds immediately phoned Labuschagne to apologise and also sent him a video message to express his deep regret. But still didn’t feel right having not had the chance to look him in the eye and say sorry in person.

Australia take on New Zealand in the ICC T20 World Cup Final on Monday (1am AEDT) on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial today.

Andrew Symonds feared he might be sacked over the incident. Picture: Foxtel

Symonds didn’t know what reaction he was going to get when he spotted the Labuschagne family across the room after Queensland won last summer’s Sheffield Shield final, but walked straight over to face the music.“I had beers with the Queensland boys and I apologised and saw his parents afterwards too and apologised to them,” Symonds told News Corp.

“His mother gave me a hug and everything and I felt so much better. What we did was crude and it was wrong and it’s good to alleviate that angst I suppose when you haven’t physically seen someone and shook their hand and apologised.

“They were very accepting. I didn’t know what I was going to get. They would have been quite within their rights to tear into me, but no, they were fantastic about it.”

At the time of the gaffe, Symonds was mortified and frightened.

“It’s one of those things where I could have lost my job. At the time it was a bit frightening to be honest with you because I thought, ‘I’ve gone and blown this now,’” he said.

“We got a good talking to from our bosses.”

He needn’t have worried.

“I’ve got no malice or hard feelings towards them,” Labuschagne said.

“They’re doing their jobs. You’ve got to talk on air for six hours a day, you’re going to say stuff, especially if you didn’t think it’s going to air. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.”

Symonds caught up with Labuschagne for a beer in Townsville when Queensland rolled into town late last month and is full of praise for a player he believes is a once-in-a-generation all-format star for Australia.

Andrew Symonds and Shane Warne were caught on microphone commenting about Marnus Labuschagne.

He doesn’t believe Labuschagne is ready for captaincy just yet, but backed his fellow Queenslander to mature and blossom.

“I would say he’d be well aware that’s one of the biggest things he’s got to work on is his maturity,” Symonds said.

“I was a culprit of it as well. There’s a time for a joke and there’s obviously a time to knuckle down and be serious. What he’s got to do is just find the right balance I suppose. I’m confident he’ll be able to do that. If he has aspirations to captain I’m sure give him another a couple of years you’ll probably see a big difference in his maturity.

“Everyone has their own way and his way would be quite unique probably but that’s a breath of fresh air. We’ll see what happens there and it’ll be an interesting space to watch.

“You haven’t seen the finished product of Marnus yet, definitely. What he can become is frightening to think how good he could be. And if you put on top of that him being a leader of men, well that’s something else isn’t it.”

MARNUS: I’D LOVE TO BE THE MAIN MARN

Marnus Labuschagne has vowed to improve his on-field behaviour and declared an ambition to one day captain Australia.

Pat Cummins might be the favourite to succeed Tim Paine as Test captain, with Steve Smith the only other obvious candidate, but when asked about who he felt was a future leader, Paine himself has nominated Labuschagne as the man worth investing in for further down the road.

It’s a significant endorsement from Australia’s current statesman when many around the game have scornfully written Labuschagne off as “too immature”, and his own state Queensland appear in no hurry to give him leadership opportunities.

Labuschagne was fined by match officials for overzealous appealing in a Sheffield Shield game last month and he has come under regular scrutiny for a habit of lingering at the crease when given out, with Test great Ian Chappell labelling the perceived defiance as “a bad example”.

At 24 years of age Ricky Ponting emerged from the Bourbon and Beefsteak nightclub in Kings Cross with a black eye and a bruised reputation as a party boy, but within five years he matured and was named Test captain – now considered one of Australia’s great leaders.

Labuschagne is 27, the next giant of Test match batting. A potential 10-year player with a refreshing zest for the game. A clean-cut role model off the field featured on Weet-Bix packages and loved by kids.

But in the eyes of many, Labuschagne is not considered captaincy material, and the young star admits it’s up to him to improve elements of his on-field demeanour and prove he can grow into the leader he wants to be.

“You’ve always got to respect the game and if my actions are not in line with respecting the game, then I’ve obviously got to make a change there,” Labuschagne told News Corp.

“I’ve got no disrespect towards the umpires, it’s obviously my disappointment and frustration with getting out. But I’ve got to get better at that.

“It’s certainly difficult (in the heat of the moment), but it’s something that’s necessary.

“You have to make sure you’re able to control your body language and actions in that moment.

Marnus Labuschagne celebrates a wicket for Queensland.

The run machine has revealed his aspirations to captain Australia.

“For me, absolutely, I would love to captain Australia. Everyone would love that. But for me, it’s about making sure I put the team first and when you’re talking about being a leader, that doesn’t necessarily mean you need the title. You can be a leader without the title and I think that’s the role I can play.”

Labuschagne’s incredible on-field energy has been both a blessing and a curse.

It’s that passion and insatiable thirst for the contest that stood out to selectors when they picked him for a Test debut in Dubai in 2018 with a first-class average in the low 30s.

Some batsmen shudder when they see a green pitch, but Labuschagne relishes it.

He scoured any opportunity to play competitive cricket in the UK; anything to push for a baggy green and steel himself for the rigours of the Ashes, which he was famously thrust into as a concussion sub for Smith at Lord’s in 2019.

Marnus Labuschagne celebrates with fans after the Sheffield Shield final in April.

Some batsmen sidle to the back of the room when the coach asks who wants to pad up at No. 3, whereas Labuschagne knocks over chairs rushing out to the middle.

But when that same abundance of enthusiasm manifests itself on the field at times, that is what is perceived in the eyes of many as a sign of his immaturity.

Labuschagne is striving to improve, but at the same time doesn’t want to change who he is.

How those perceptions will impact on any future consideration for captaincy, he’s not sure.

“I mean time will have to tell, if it does or not. I think it’s hard for me to sit here and say,” said Labuschagne.

Could Labuschagne (pictured back) be the man to replace Tim Paine?

“Absolutely, I think there’s some things about my character and the way I play the game that could aid captaincy. But there’s also things I need to learn along the way as well if that was to come.

“I play the game of cricket with a lot of energy and intensity so I want to make sure I stay true to myself and true to my own character and I don’t necessarily get caught in trying to be someone that I’m not.

“I want to play cricket with that energy and love and passion that I always have played it with. But I have to make sure I always respect the game, that’s the most important part of it.”

Paine – the man who has led Australia through one of the most stark leadership vacuums in modern cricket – is convinced of Labuschagne’s credentials as a future Test captain.

Marnus Labuschagne and Michael Neser revel in Queensland’s Shield win.

“I think he’d be a good (leader),” Paine said in June.

“Marnus is a great thinker of the game. He’s a good team man, he’s got so much enthusiasm for his team and the game.

“In terms of our cricket team improving and Marnus evolving, I think in the next couple of years we’ll definitely see him take the step up.

“He’s got some real natural leadership ability and if that’s harnessed and helped, I think he’ll be a great captain.”

Originally published as The Ashes 2021-22: Andrew Symonds opens up on ‘hot mic’ regrets, Marnus apology