Under the baggy-green, beneath the silky brown hair, inside the cranium;lies the greatest enigma of modern day cricket.ADAM CRAIG GILCHRIST. Only the almighty knows what lies inside the head of one of the most exhilarating cricketers of all time.
Never before has a cricketer changed the course of matches so single-handedly and so consistently as Adam Gilchrist. Going in first or seventh, Gilchrist has been the pivot of Australia?s steam-rolling agenda.
For the statistically inclined, Gilchrist averages 52 in tests and 36 in ODI?s.For those who think he?s a mere flash-in-the-pan, he has 13 test hundreds and 10 ODI hundreds.All this at a staggering strike rate of 82 in tests and 94 in ODI?s which makes Vivian Richards look like a stick-in-the-muds.
As I sit to write this piece Adam Gilchrist has just completed another exhibition of his savagery. His 13th test hundred off just 109 balls against Pakistan.
His two innings which evoke awe are the death-defying 149 against Pakistan in 99-00 when all seemed lost and the savage and emotional 204 against South Africa (which was the fastest double ton until Astle broke the record later that year).
He also started the debatable ?walking trend?.There?s been a mixed reaction to this act, however there is no denying the virtuosity of the act..
In my opinion Adam Gilchrist is the greatest match-winner of the modern age.Be it his sublime batting or his glove-work, this gladiator has done it all.
As a wicket keeper he may lack the acrobatic reflexes of Rod Marsh or the finesse of Ian Healy, but he makes up for all that and more through his batting.
Eventually his jangling knees might tempt him to give up the gloves and move up the order as a specialist batsman?..BUT TOMORROW CAN WAIT!!!!