Adam Gilchrist: Difference between revisions

Adam Gilchrist

Personal information
Full name	Adam Craig Gilchrist
Nickname	Gilly, Church
Height	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Batting	Left-hand
Bowling	Right-arm off break
Role	Wicket-keeper
International information
National side	Australia
Test debut (cap 381)	5 November 1999 v Pakistan
Last Test	24 January 2008 v India
ODI debut (cap 129)	25 October 1996 v South Africa
Last ODI	4 March 2008 v India
ODI shirt no.	18
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1994–2008	Western Australia
2008–present	Deccan Chargers
1992–1994	New South Wales
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI FC List A Matches 96 287 190 355 Runs scored 5,570 9,619 10,334 11,288 Batting average 47.60 35.89 44.16 34.94 100s/50s 17/26 16/55 30/43 18/63 Top score 204* 172 204* 172 Balls bowled – – – 12 Wickets – – – 0 Bowling average – – – – 5 wickets in innings – – – 0 10 wickets in match – – – n/a Best bowling – – – 0/10 Catches/stumpings 379/37 417/55 756/55 526/65
Source: CricketArchive, 4 March 2008

Adam Craig Gilchrist (born 14 November 1971), nicknamed Gilly or Church,^[1] is a retired Australian international cricketer.^[2] He is an aggressive left-handed batsman and record-breaking wicket-keeper, who re-defined the role for the Australian national team. He is considered to be one of the best wicket-keeper-batsmen in the history of the game.^[3][4]

He holds the world record for the most dismissals by a wicket keeper in One Day International cricket and the most by an Australian in Test cricket.^[5][6] His strike rate is amongst the highest in the history of both One-day and Test cricket and he currently holds the record for the second fastest century in Test match cricket.^[7] He is the only player to have hit 100 sixes in Test cricket.^[8] His 17 Test and 16 ODI centuries are the most by a wicket-keeper.^[9][10] He holds the unique record of scoring at least 50 runs in successive World Cup finals (in 1999, 2003 and 2007)^[11]and is one of only three players to have won three titles.^[12]

Gilchrist is renowned for walking when he considers himself to be out, sometimes contrary to the decision of the umpire.^[13]

He made his first-class debut in 1992, his first One-Day International appearance in 1996 in India (TITAN CUP) and his Test debut in 1999.^[2] During his career, he played for Australia in 96 Test matches and over 270 One-day internationals. He was Australia's vice-captain in both forms of the game, captaining the team when regular captains Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting were unavailable.^[14][15]

He announced his retirement from international cricket on 26 January 2008 (effective in early March 2008), during the final test match of the summer against India at Adelaide, one day after he broke the world record for the most dismissals by a wicket keeper.^[16] However, he continues to play cricket for the Deccan Chargers in the Indian Premier League Twenty20 competition and was recently named the skipper of the side after VVS Laxman was stripped of the captaincy.^[17]

Early and personal life

Adam Gilchrist was born in 1971 at Bellingen Hospital, in Bellingen, New South Wales. He and his family lived in Dorrigo, Junee and then Deniliquin where, playing for his school, Deniliquin South Public School, he won the Brian Taber Shield (named after New South Wales cricketer Brian Taber). At the age of 13, his parents, Stan and June, moved the family to Lismore where Gilchrist captained the Kadina High School cricket team.^[18] In 1989 Gilchrist was offered a scholarship by London-based Richmond Cricket Club, a scheme he now supports himself.^[19] He moved to Sydney and joined the Gordon Club, later moving to Northern Districts.^[20]

He is married to his high school sweetheart Melinda (Mel) Gilchrist (née Sharpe), a dietitian, and they have two sons, Harrison and Archie, and a daughter, Annie Jean. Gilchrist’s personal life became newsworthy early in 2007,^[21] as his youngest child was due to be born around the scheduled start of the 2007 Cricket World Cup, and this threatened Gilchrist's presence in the early stages of the tournament in March. Archie’s early arrival (in February) meant that Gilchrist was able to declare himself available for the whole competition.^[22]

Outside cricket, Gilchrist is an ambassador for the charity World Vision in India, a country in which he is popular due to his cricketing achievements.^[23] In 2006 Gilchrist sponsored Mangesh Rathod, an underprivileged child from Andheri, Mumbai who had lost his father to tuberculosis. Mangesh's mother works as a house-maid for a paltry salary of Rs 500 per month. Gilchrist bears his cost of education.^[24] He was approached in early 2005 by the US baseball franchise, the Boston Red Sox, with a view to him playing for them when his cricket career ended.^[25] However, he was selected for the 2007 Cricket World Cup and announced his retirement from Test and One-Day cricket in early 2008.^[26]

Media career

It was announced on 3 March 2008 that Gilchrist had joined the Nine Network in an exclusive television deal.^[27] Gilchrist will appear as one of a panel of revolving co-hosts for the revived Wide World of Sports Weekend Edition. He made his debut on the program on March 2008,^[27] and will also be a fixture in the Nine Network's cricket coverage as a commentator.^[27]

Political career and beliefs

Adam Gilchrist has been approached by the Australian Labor Party to contest the Federal Seat of Stirling (in Perth's northern suburbs) at the upcoming Federal Election. The Federal Seat of Stirling is a marginal seat, and it is widely believed that Adam Gilchrist will be a formidable opponent for incumbent member for Stirling, Michael Keenan.

Adam Gilchrist made national headlines in 2008 when he suggested that Australia Day should be moved to a new date because the current date is offensive to Aboriginal Australians. Adam Gilchrist is considered to have left of centre views, with Ricky Ponting commenting in his annual Captain's Dairy that Adam Gilchrist had a penchant for reading Karl Marx whilst on tour.

Domestic career

Gilchrist was selected for his first-class debut for New South Wales during the 1992–1993 season,^[2] although he played purely as a batsman, due to the presence of incumbent wicketkeeper Phil Emery.^[28] In his first season, the side won the Sheffield Shield, Gilchrist scoring an unbeaten 20 in the second innings to secure an easy win over Queensland in the Final.^[29] He struggled to keep his place in the side, playing only three First-class matches in the following season.^[30]

In 1994 Gilchrist joined the Western Warriors in Western Australia, where he controversially replaced former Test player Tim Zoehrer as wicket-keeper. He made 55 dismissals in his first season, the most by any wicketkeeper in Australian domestic cricket in 1994–95.^[31] His second season based in Perth saw him top of the dismissals again, with 58 catches and four stumpings, but, significantly, an impressive batting average of 50.52.^[32] The Warriors made it to the final of the Sheffield Shield, at the Adelaide Oval, where Gilchrist made a massive 189 not out in the first innings, but, with the match ending in a draw, South Australia took the title, having scored more points in the qualifying matches.^[33] The 1996–97 season saw him top of the dismissals leaderboard once again, with 62, along with a batting average of just under 40,^[34] and team success in the Mercantile Mutual Cup, where the Warriors won by eight wickets against Queensland in the March 1997 final.^[35]

The 1997–98 season ended with Gilchrist top of the dismissals chart for the fourth season in a row with an improved batting average of 47.66,^[36] success in the Sheffield Shield once again, this time against Tasmania,^[37] but disappointment for the team in the Mercantile Mutual Cup, losing out in the semi-final to Queensland.^[38] The following season saw Gilchrist's domestic appearances begin to diminish due to his international commitments: he made only a single appearance in the Mercantile Mutual Cup,^[39] but still managed to help Western Australia regain the Sheffield Shield.^[40]

Gilchrist's regular selection for Australia has meant that he is rarely available for domestic selection. Between 1999 and 2005, he made only seven appearances for his state.^[41] He did not play in the 2005–6 Pura Cup and only appeared three times in the limited-overs ING Cup.^[42][43]

International career

Early one-day seasons

Gilchrist was called up for the Australian One Day International (ODI) team in 1996, his debut coming against South Africa at Faridabad, 25 October 1996 as the 129th Australian ODI cap.^[2][44][45] While not particularly impressive with the bat on his debut, scoring 18 before being bowled by Allan Donald, Gilchrist took his first catch as an international wicketkeeper, Hansie Cronje departing for a golden duck from the bowling of Paul Reiffel.^[45] Gilchrist replaced Ian Healy for the first two ODIs in the 1997 Australian tour of South Africa, after Healy was suspended for dissent. When Healy returned Gilchrist maintained his position in the team as a specialist batsman after Mark Waugh sustained a hand injury.^[46] It was during this One-day series that Gilchrist made his first ODI half-century, with an innings of 77 in Durban.^[47] Gilchrist went on to play in the Texaco Trophy later in 1997 in the 3–0 series loss against England.^[48]

At the start of the 1997–98 Australian season, Healy and captain Mark Taylor were omitted from the ODI squad as the Australian selectors opted for Gilchrist and Michael di Venuto. Gilchrist's elevation was made possible by a change in policy by selectors, who announced that selection for ODI and Test teams would be separate, with Test and ODI specialists selected accordingly, while Healy remained the preferred Test wicket-keeper. The new team was initially unconvincing, losing all four of its round robin matches against South Africa in the 1997–98 Carlton & United Series,^[49] with multiple players filling Taylor's role as Mark Waugh's opening partner without success. Gilchrist also struggled batting in the lower order at number seven, the conventional wicket-keeper's batting position.^[50] In the first final against South Africa at the Melbourne Cricket Ground Gilchrist was selected as Waugh's opening partner. In a particularly poor start to the new combination, Waugh was run out after a mix-up with Gilchrist.^[51] However, in the second final, Gilchrist struck a century, his first in an ODI, to spearhead Australia's successful run chase at the Sydney Cricket Ground, securing his position as an opening batsman.^[52]

Touring New Zealand in February 1998, Gilchrist achieved the highest average of all Australian batsmen with 50.00,^[53] and, significantly, effected his first ODI stumping, the wicket of Nathan Astle in the Second ODI in Wellington.^[54] He went on to play in the Coca Cola Cup in Sharjah in April 1998, a triangular tournament between Australia, India and New Zealand. Australia finished runners-up in the tournament, with Gilchrist taking nine dismissals as wicketkeeper and averaging over 37 with the bat.^[55] A productive individual performance in the One-day Carlton & United Series in January and February 1999 against Sri Lanka and England resulted in Gilchrist finishing with a batting average of 43.75 with two centuries and a fifty, a highest score of 154, and a total of 27 dismissals in 12 matches.^[56][57] The 1999 tour of the West Indies continued to prove Gilchrist's ability as a wicketkeeper-batsman, with a batting average of just under 30 at a strike rate of nearly 90.00, and seven fielding dismissals in a seven-match series which ended 3–3 with one tie.^[58]

First World Cup success

Gilchrist played in every match of Australia's successful World Cup campaign,^[59] his quick-fire 63 runs in 39 balls against Bangladesh easing the Australians into the Super Six stage of the tournament.^[60] His half-century in the final helped secure Australia's first world title since 1987 with an eight wicket victory over Pakistan.^[61] Success in the World Cup was followed by a defeat by Sri Lanka in the final of the Aiwa Cup in August 1999,^[62] despite Gilchrist being the most successful batsman and wicket-keeper of the tournament,^[63] and a whitewash of Zimbabwe in October of that year.^[64]

Test debut

Gilchrist made his Test match debut against Pakistan at the Gabba in Brisbane in November 1999^[65] and became the 381st Australian Test cricketer.^[66] He replaced Healy for the start of the series, despite Healy's entreaties to the selectors to allow him a farewell game in front of his home crowd.^[67] Gilchrist's icy reception at the Gabba did not faze him;^[68] he took five catches, stumped Azhar Mahmood off Shane Warne's bowling and scored a rapid 81, in a match which Australia won comfortably.^[65] In his second Test match he made an unbeaten 149 to help guide Australia to victory in a game which looked well beyond their reach.^[69] Australia were struggling on 126 for 5 with a target of 369 to win as he joined his Western Australian team-mate, Justin Langer, but the pair put on a record-breaking partnership to enable Australia to win the Test.^[69][70] Gilchrist was also successful in the One-day tournament, the Carlton & United Series, with Australia beating Pakistan 2–0 in a best-of-three final.^[71]

In the Third Test against New Zealand in 2000, Gilchrist recorded the third best Test performance ever by a wicketkeeper, taking ten catches in the match.^[72] Later that year, he was handed the vice-captaincy of the Australian Test team in place of Shane Warne, who had been plagued by a number of off-the-field controversies.^[73]

A Test series whitewash over New Zealand^[74] was followed by a West Indian touring party and Gilchrist captaining his Test team for the first time in place of the injured Steve Waugh in the Third Test in Adelaide. Despite a mediocre personal performance during the match, some excellent bowling by Colin Miller resulted in a hard-fought five-wicket victory for Australia. Gilchrist described the match as "the proudest moment of my career".^[75]

Waugh regained the captaincy on his return to the team for the Fourth and Fifth Tests, with the series finishing as a 5-0 whitewash.^[76] This was followed by a less-than-successful Australian tour of India where, despite a man-of-the-match performance in the First Test in Mumbai (scoring 122 runs and taking six catches in a ten wicket victory),^[77] Gilchrist's form dipped momentarily, with a rare king pair (two golden ducks in the same match) in the Second Test in Kolkata and just two runs in his two innings in Chennai. He was out LBW four consecutive times in the last two Tests.^[78][79] His one-day form, however, was reasonable during the same period, averaging just over 40 in Australia's successful Carlton Series campaign at home against Zimbabwe and West Indies,^[80][81] and 43.00 in the ODI series in India.^[82] During this series he captained the ODI team for the first time, winning all three of the matches under his captaincy.^[83]

2001 Ashes

Gilchrist played a pivotal role in the 2001 Ashes series which Australia won 4–1, with a batting average of 68.00 and 26 dismissals in the five match series.^[84] During this series, he captained the team in the Fourth Test at Headingley after an injury to Steve Waugh.^[85] Gilchrist declared late on the fourth day leaving England with a target of 315, which, despite losing two early wickets, England reached with six wickets to spare, (Mark Butcher scoring an unbeaten 173, including 24 boundaries^[85]).^[86]

Two home series followed in the 2001–02 season, a fully drawn (0–0) three match series against New Zealand and a whitewash over South Africa 3–0.^[83] The Australians then toured South Africa the next month and it was during the First Test in Johannesburg that Gilchrist broke the record for the fastest double century in Tests,^[87] requiring 212 balls for the feat.^[88] This was eight balls quicker than Ian Botham's innings against India at The Oval in 1982.^[89] The record lasted only one month, however, with New Zealand's Nathan Astle taking 59 balls less to reach the milestone during an innings in March 2002.^[90] During the three-match Test series against South Africa, Gilchrist had an astonishing average of 157.66 at an equally impressive strike rate of just below 100.^[91]

Gilchrist captained the ODI team, once again for a single match, against Kenya in Nairobi during the PSO Tri-Nation Tournament.^[92] Despite Australia's unbeaten run in the competition, the final, against Pakistan was abandoned due to rain, so the teams shared the trophy.^[93]

From the time of his debut up to the 2003 World Cup, Gilchrist's entry to Test cricket included 11 series and appearance in 39 Tests.^[94] With the exception of a difficult tour of India in 2000–01, when he averaged 24.80 (he made 124 runs in the series; 122 of them came in one innings), his performances with the bat were such that he was described at the time as the "finest batsman-wicketkeeper to have graced the game".^[94][95] At one point in March 2002, Gilchrist's Test average was over 60; the second-highest for any established player in Test history,^[96] and he topped the ICC Test batting rankings in May 2002.^[97] Gilchrist went on to help the Australians retain The Ashes in 2002–03, playing in all five matches of the series, finishing with an average of over 55 and taking 25 dismissals as wicket-keeper.^[98]

2003 World Cup

Gilchrist played in all but one of the matches in Australia's successful defence of their World Cup title,^[99] and finished the tournament with a batting average of 40.80 at a strike rate of 105. He scored four half-centuries, including one in the final and was run out against Sri Lanka in the Super Six stage just a single run short of a century.^[100] He was also the competition's most successful wicketkeeper taking 21 dismissals.^[101] Success in the World Cup was followed up by a tour of the West Indies where Gilchrist was part of a side that won both the ODI and Test series.^[102] The Australians also defeated a touring Bangladeshi cricket team in short series in both forms of the game.^[103]

Decline and revival

Gilchrist's Test form dipped again in early 2004, with an aggregate of 28 in six innings against India and Sri Lanka.^[83] However, he maintained high standards in the One-day game, including 111 against India in Bangalore, 172 against Zimbabwe and two further half-centuries in the VB Series in Australia.^[50] His success in One-day cricket was underlined by his rise to the top of the ICC ODI batting rankings in February 2004.^[104] A Test century against India in October 2004 proved to be a false renaissance;^[105] only 114 runs in seven Test innings and 139 runs in eight ODI innings towards the end of the 2004–05 season formed the lowest average period of Gilchrist's career until 2007.^[83][50] He took captaincy of the Test team once again, in place of the injured Ricky Ponting,^[106] and led the Australian side to an historic 2–1 series victory on their 2004 tour of India, a feat last achieved in 1969.^[107]

In early 2005, he hit three successive Test centuries against Pakistan and New Zealand,^[108] but later in 2005, he suffered from a prolonged slump in form, particularly in Test cricket, leading for calls for him to be dropped down the order from opening ODI batsman to as low as number seven.^[109] A mediocre 2005 Ashes series, averaging 22.62,^[110] was punctuated with an excellent 121 not out in the final game of the one-day NatWest Series, Gilchrist being awarded the man-of-the-match award.^[111] His one-day form also began to suffer, scoring only 11 runs in three ODIs in New Zealand and 13 in the first two matches of the VB Series.^[50] He was rested for two games and returned to form against Sri Lanka on 29 January 2006 on his home ground, the WACA, hitting 116 runs off 105 balls to lead Australia to victory.^[109] He continued in this vein with the fastest ever century by an Australian in just 67 balls against Sri Lanka at the Gabba.^[112]

On 16 December 2006, during the Third Ashes Test at the WACA, Gilchrist scored a century in 57 balls, including twelve 4s and four 6s,^[113] the second fastest recorded Test century.^[7] At 97 runs from 54 balls, Gilchrist needed three runs from the next delivery to better Viv Richards' record set in 1986.^[114] The ball delivered by Matthew Hoggard was wide and Gilchrist was unable to score from it.^[115] He later claimed that the "batting pyrotechnics" had been the result of a miscommunication with the Australian captain Ricky Ponting; Gilchrist had actually been told not to score quick runs with a view to declaring the innings.^[116]

He carried this good form into the 2006-07 Ashes series with a century and two fifties, averaging over 45 at a strike rate of over 100 as Australia easily regained The Ashes.^[117] However, both he and Australia suffered a surprising string of poor results in the 2006-07 Commonwealth Bank Series, Gilchrist managing an average of only 22.20 during the tournament. England won with two finals victories over the Australians.^[118] He was then rested for Australia's winless three-match ODI tour of New Zealand,^[119] before his selection for the 2007 Cricket World Cup.^[120] Having previously indicated that it was highly likely that he would retire after the 2007 World Cup,^[121] he then stated a desire to continue playing on after the tournament.^[122]

2007 World Cup

Gilchrist and Australia started their 2007 World Cup campaign successfully, winning all three of their matches in Group A, against Scotland,^[123] the Netherlands and South Africa. Australia won all six of their matches in the Super8 stage with little difficulty, topping the table and thus qualifying for a semi-final rematch against fourth-placed South Africa. Gilchrist opened the Australian batting in each match, taking a pinch-hitting role in the opening powerplays. Initially successful in the group matches, scoring 46, 57 and 42, he failed in the first Super8 match against West Indies (7), but bounced back to scored a second half-century (59 not out) in a ten-wicket victory against Bangladesh in a match drastically shortened due to rain. After a run of middling scores, he failed again in the final Super8 match against New Zealand.

As batsman, Gilchrist was dismissed for a single run in the semi-final against South Africa. As wicket-keeper, however, he took four catches, equalling the most dismissals in one match in the tournament and bringing his total for the tournament to 14, second behind Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara.

Gilchrist opened the batting against Sri Lanka in the final. This was Gilchrist's third successive World Cup final, and the third time he scored a half-century in World Cup finals. Gilchrist went on to score 149 runs off 104 balls with thirteen fours and eight sixes, the highest individual score in a World Cup final, eclipsing his captain Ricky Ponting's score of 140 in the previous final. He was named the man of the match. Subsequently there has been some controversy over Gilchrist's use of a squash ball inside his glove during this innings ^[124] . The MCC stated that Gilchrist had not acted against the laws or the spirit of the game, since there is no restriction against the external or internal form of batting gloves. ^[125]

2008 Indian Premier League

Adam Gilchrist was purchased by Hyderabad franchise the Deccan Chargers on the 20th of Feb in the highly publicised player auction for US$ 700,000.

He started slowly in the IPL scoring 23 against the Kolkata Knight Riders, 8 against the Delhi Daredevils and 13 against the Rajasthan Royals. However in the fourth match Adam Gilchrist hammered the fastest hundred in the IPL, off just 42 balls, as Deccan notched up their first win in Mumbai.

Adam Gilchrist led the Deccan Chargers in the second half of the IPL in the absence of regular captain VVS Laxman, who was ruled out for the rest of the tournament due to injury.

Retirement

On 26 January 2008 during the final Test of the 2007-08 series against India, Gilchrist announced that he would retire from international cricket at the end of the season.^[16] A back injury kept Ricky Ponting off the field for sections of the Indian's second batting innings, resulting in Gilchrist captaining the team for the part of final two days of his Test cricket career.^[126] India batted out the match for a draw, leaving Gilchrist 14 runs in the first innings being his final Test innings, however he did take his 379th and final catch when Virender Sehwag was caught behind.^[127]

John Buchanan, former Australia coach, predicted that Gilchrist's retirement would have more impact that the previous year's retirements of Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne and Justin Langer and Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd asked Gilchrist to reconsider.^[128] Gilchrist later revealed that he choose to retire after dropping VVS Laxman during the test matches against India, and realising that he had lost his "competitive edge."^[129] He played out the summer in the ODI series with a succession of farewells around the country, before ending in disappointment when India beat Australia two matches to nil in the 2007-08 Commonwealth Bank Series finals.^[130] His highlight of the series was scoring 118 and being named Man of the Match in his final match at his adopted home ground of the WACA Ground in Perth on 15 February 2008.^[131]

In his autobiography, Gilchrist called Indian batsman, Sachin Tendulkar's evidence a "joke" and said when Tendulkar told the first hearing that he could not hear what Harbhajan Singh said to Andrew Symonds, he was "certain he was telling the truth" because he was "a fair way away". Expectedly, there was a big backlash in India which provoked Gilchrist to clarify his position. Gilchrist later on insisted that he did not accuse Sachin Tendulkar of lying while presenting evidence in the racism hearing after the controversial Sydney Test. He also denied calling him a "bad sport" after observing that it was often hard to locate Tendulkar for an after-match handshake following Indian losses.^[132][133]

Style of play

Gilchrist's attacking batting has been a key part of Australia's one–day success, as he usually opens the batting. He was a part of the successful 1999, 2003 and 2007 Cricket World Cup campaigns.^[134][135] Gilchrist's test batting average in the top 40s is unusually high for a wicket-keeper.^[136] He is currently 45th on the all–time list of highest batting averages.^[136] He maintains a powerful Test strike–rate of 82 runs per hundred balls. His combination of attack and consistency create one of the most dynamic world cricketers ever,^[137] playing shots to all areas of the field with uncommon timing. Gilchrist's skills as a wicket-keeper are sometimes questioned; some people would claim that he is the best keeper in Australia while Victorian wicket-keeper Darren Berry was regarded by many as the best Australian wicket-keeper of the 1990s and early 2000s.^[138][139]

In this role, Gilchrist is perhaps disadvantaged by his relatively tall stature for a pure wicket-keeper. However, while perhaps not as elegant as some, he has successfully kept wicket for leg spinner Shane Warne over many years, managing many stumpings, missing few catching chances, and letting through few byes. With Alec Stewart and Mark Boucher, he shares the record for most catches (6) by a wicketkeeper in a One Day International, however he has now achieved this feat five times, the most recent versus India in 2008 CB Series.^[140] The match in 2007 was also the second time he took 6 dismissals and scored a half century in the same ODI; he remains the only player to do so even once.^[141] At Old Trafford in August 2005, he passed Alec Stewart's world record of 4,540 runs as a Test wicketkeeper,^[142] Statistically, he is currently the most successful ODI wicket-keeper in history; with 400 catches and 53 stumpings, a total of 453 dismissals, his closest rival, Mark Boucher, is more than 80 dismissals behind.^[143]

Walking and discipline

Cricket has for many years debated whether batsmen should "walk", that is to agree that they have been dismissed and leave the field of play without waiting for (or contrary to) an umpire's decision. Gilchrist reignited this debate by walking during a high-profile match, the 2003 World Cup semi-final against Sri Lanka.^[144] He has since proclaimed himself to be "a walker", or a batsman who will consistently walk,^[145] and has done so on numerous occasions.^[144][146] On one occasion against Bangladesh, Gilchrist walked but TV replays failed to suggest any contact between his bat and the ball. Without such contact, he could not have been caught out.^[146]

Gilchrist's actions have sparked debate amongst current and former players and umpires.^[13] Ricky Ponting has declared on several occasions that he is not a walker but will leave it to each player to decide whether they wish to walk or not.^[147] While no other Australian top order batsmen have expressly declared themselves to be walkers, lower-order batsmen Jason Gillespie and Michael Kasprowicz both walked during Test matches in India in 2004.^[148] In 2004, New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming accused Gilchrist of conducting a "walking crusade" when Craig McMillan refused to walk after Gilchrist had him caught off an edge from the bowling of Jason Gillespie in the First Test between Australia and New Zealand, in Brisbane.^[149] After the appeal was turned down by the umpire, who did not hear the edge, Gilchrist goaded McMillan about the edge, and McMillan's angry response was picked up by the stump microphone: "...not everyone is walking, Gilly ... not everyone has to walk, mate...".^[149] The taunt was effective, however, as McMillan, perhaps distracted, missed the next ball and was given out leg before wicket.^[149]

Gilchrist has been noted for his emotional outbursts on the cricket field, and has been fined multiple times for dissent against umpiring decisions.^{[150][151][152]} In January 2006, he was fined 40% of his match fee in an ODI against South Africa.^[150][153] In another instance, in early 2004 in Sri Lanka, Gilchrist audibly argued with umpire Peter Manuel after batting partner Andrew Symonds was given out.^[154] After the argument concluded, Manuel consulted umpiring partner Billy Bowden and reversed his decision, recalling Symonds to the crease.^[155] Gilchrist has also been reprimanded for criticism of other players, including questioning Muttiah Muralitharan's bowling action in 2002.^[156] According to the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) Gilchrist was reprimanded as a result of being found guilty of being in breach of ACB rules concerned with "detrimental public comment".^[157]

In the 2003 world cup Gilchrist accused Pakistani wicketkeeper Rashid Latif of making a racist remark. Latif was cleared by match referee Clive Lloyd and threatened to sue Gilchrist for this claim.^[158]

In October 2008, Gilchrist in his autobiography True Colours, questioned the honesty and integrity of Indian cricket star Sachin Tendulkar. Adam Gilchrist stated that Sachin Tendulkar’s evidence in the Harbhajan Singh racism case was a "joke". He also raised questions over Tendulkar's sportsmanship and said he was "hard to find for a changing-room handshake after we have beaten India". ^[159] In response to these comments Tendulkar stated that "……those remarks came from someone who doesn't know me enough. I think he made loose statements. ……I reminded him that I was the first person to shake hands after the Sydney defeat." ^[160]

Gilchrist autobiography True Colours, blamed ICC for allowing Sri Lankan cricketer Muralitharan to bowl even though he was accused of chucking. Gilchrist believes that ICC changed rules for Muralitharan so he can keep bowling and he referred to this as -That's a load of horse crap. That's rubbish. ^[161] Gilchrist, claimed Muralitharan chucked the ball and alleged International Cricket Council protected him after Sri Lankan authorities interpreted questioning of his bowling action as a racial attack. ^[162] In response these comments, former Sri Lankan Captain Marvan Atapattu said that by questioning credentials of players like Muralitharan and Sachin Tendulkar, Gilchrist had done no good to his own reputation. ^[163]

Achievements

Awards

Gilchrist was one of five Wisden Cricketers of the Year for 2002,^[164] and Australia's One-day International Player of the Year in 2003 and 2004.^[2] He was awarded the Allan Border Medal in 2003,^[165] and was the only Australian cricketer currently playing to have been named in "Richie Benaud's Greatest XI" in 2004.^[166] He was selected in the ICC World XI for the charity series against the ACC Asian XI, 2004–05,^[167] was voted as "World's Scariest Batsman" in a poll of international bowlers,^[168] and was named as wicket-keeper and opening batsman in Australia's "greatest ever ODI team."^[169] In a poll of over ten thousand people hosted in 2007 by Cricinfo, he was voted the ninth greatest all-rounder of the last one hundred years.^[170]

Test match performance

Test debut: vs Pakistan, Brisbane, 1999–2000.^[65]

• Gilchrist's best Test batting score of 204 not out was made against South Africa, Johannesburg, 2001–2002.^[171]
• He has captained Australia in six Tests: four wins, one loss, one draw.^[14]
• Holder of the record for most sixes in a Test career, with 100 sixes.^[8]
• Holder of second fastest Test Hundred (100 in 57 deliveries) vs England, 16 December 2006.^[172]
• Holder of the second most Test dismissals by a wicketkeeper (416), 4 February 2008.^[5]
• Holder of most Test centuries by a wicketkeeper (17), 4 February 2008.^[9]

Man-of-the-match awards (Test matches)

Man-of-the-series awards (Test match series)

ODI highlights

ODI debut: vs South Africa, Faridabad, 1996–97.^[45]

• Holder of most ODI dismissals by a wicketkeeper (455*), 4 February 2008.^[6]
• Gilchrist's best ODI batting score of 172 was made against Zimbabwe, Hobart, 2003–04.^[176]
• He has captained Australia in 15 ODIs: 11 wins, 4 losses.^[15]
• Holder for record of second fastest ODI century by an Australian (100 from 67 deliveries against Sri Lanka on 14 February 2006) and equal ninth overall internationally.^[177]
• Holder of most ODI centuries by a wicketkeeper (15), 4 February 2008.^[10]

Man-of-the-match awards (ODIs)

Man-of-the-series awards (ODI series)

References

External links

• Adam Gilchrist's official website
• Cricket–Online profile on Adam Gilchrist
• Cricinfo profile on Adam Gilchrist
• HowSTAT! statistical profile on Adam Gilchrist

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