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How the unmatchable Adam Gilchrist revolutionised cricket

He'll go down in history as the man who made a multi-tasking success of wicketkeeping and run-making. And the Aussie legend is really going to be missed.

by Umar Pirzada on 29 January 2008

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Adam Gilchrist, the Australian wicketkeeper-batsman, has announced his retirement from both Tests and ODIs after the upcoming one-day series. So this is the time to comment on a great cricketing career.

The guy reinvented the role of wicketkeeper by defining the new all-round status of keeper-batsman. The days of a keeper plodding along at seven or eight behind the real all-rounder are gone. With Gilly, fans got an explosive style of batting at the top in ODIs and in the middle-order in Tests. He was the man to have in any World XI.

At the retirement of Ian Healy, one of the game's great wicketkeepers, the Aussies were looking for the next flag bearer. It was never expected in Australia that a keeper could outshine Healy, but Gilchrist did just that.

'It was never expected in Australia that a keeper could outshine Ian Healy, but Gilchrist did just that'

He was a key member of two Aussie dream teams, both of which won 16 Tests in a row and World Cups. The current Aussie team has been dominating world cricket for over a decade now.

Tidy and well-defined behind the stumps and his swashbuckling batting made Gilly an essential member of the Aussie squad. He was vice captain and on occasions captain and his well-accomplished career deserves saluting, Gilchrist played his part in revolutionising the game.

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Comments (3)

by Greg Smith on January 30, 2008

Ok, Gilchrist deserves his credit, well done lad, Mark Boucher, I'm afraid will like Pollock be a casulty of the Australian hype machine... both in my opinion have and will have at the very least 'matched' Gilchrist (if not outshone him), it's a bit rich, it's unfortunately a feature of Australia and modern media spin. The comparision of farewell hype between these two retiring greats (Pollock & Gilchrist) is interesting and telling too, highlighting the spotlight the Aussie maintain while denegrating the accomplishments of those who are probably greater. Mark Bouchers will go on to 500 wickets and will be the Grand Master Keeper Batsman, he has done much more for cricket for much more people(being an African where 1 Billion populate the continent) Australia and their media mogals Kerry Packer and Richard Murdoch have their part and are/were the greatest Aussie cricketing spinners.

by Big Ted on January 31, 2008

Honestly Greg you do write absolute rubbish. You must be writing this dribble whilst being under the influence of some narcotic. It is not spin, it is fact! Gilchrist - 17 centuries, average 47 , at a strikerate of 82 - he has revolutionised test cricket. Boucher - 4 centuries, average 30, at a strikerate of 50 - he has been a good cricketer for South Africa. There is no comparison, and if you like we can compare ODI stats as well. Boucher has been a very good gloveman, with a good batting career. No more, no less. Gilchrist was a champion.

by Sarma on February 08, 2008

Gilly is the greatest all-time keeper batsman the world produced. On a scale of 0-1000, I give the ratings as under: Gichrist (1000), Andy Flower (952), Sangakkara (926), Dujon (711), Salim Yousuf (702), Imtiaz Ahmed (686), Kamran Akmal (681), Franz Alexander (669), Brendan McCullum (659), Rashid Latif (658), JHB Waite (643) and Mark Boucer (624). See how many players are there between Gilchrist and Boucher.