WATCH: Andrew Symonds given farewell as true Australian cricket great

Andrew Symonds was involved in a road accident that fatally claimed his life earlier this month. On Friday, he was given a fitting farewell by some Australian legends.

Earlier this month, former Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds had passed away fatally after being involved in a road accident as his car crashed. The news sent shockwaves across the cricket fraternity worldwide as fans mourned the demise. It happened to be the third significant Australian legend who lost his life this year after Rodney Marsh and Shane Warne. Meanwhile, a private funeral for him was organised on Friday at the Riverway Stadium of Townsville for the public memorial service. The memorial was attended by former Australian greats and his teammates, like Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist and Darren Lehmann, along with a couple of his close friends.

The memorial began with Greg Rowell (Cricket Australia director) saying, "He [Symonds] was a man for others, and it showed in the mastery and the breadth of the skills that had little return or dividend to him to pursue his dreams. He owned his mistakes. He put others before himself to see what has to be done and to do it. To assess what had to be said and to say it."

In the meantime, former Australian skipper Ponting added, "I had to lay down upstairs [before the memorial egan], and then I just had these words ringing in my head from Roy up there." On the other hand, former Aussie wicketkeeper-opener Gilchrist reckoned, "We've spoken so much about him as a person we forget to talk about the level of cricketer that he was."

Also, Australian poet Rupert McCall was present at the memorial and recounted, "Bowlers once-dominant cowered in fear, he came, and he saw, and he saved his Test career. For now, let's acknowledge the dream of a boy and the day he fulfilled it. You ripper, Roy." The event ended with the Hey True Blue track.