Best Players of a particular shot...

[Chubb]

Cemented-footed waft outside off stump leading to an edge- Brendan Taylor.

 

[Top_Cat]

Self-Yorker: Neil.

 

[Jason_M]

Gilchrist's cut shot is just a swish outside off stump, he's a beautiful timer of the ball with excellent hand-eye co-ordination but his technique is reasonably poor with not only this shot but his batting in general.

I would love to have seen Gilchrist bat at 3 or 4 throughout his career because i don't think his numbers would be anywhere near where they're at now, also struggles against quality attacks and on pitches that offer assistance to the seamers.

 

[Top_Cat]

I would love to have seen Gilchrist bat at 3 or 4 throughout his career because i don't think his numbers would be anywhere near where they're at now, also struggles against quality attacks and on pitches that offer assistance to the seamers.

It really does stretch the bounds of credulity when you claim Gilchrist has poor technique and struggles against quality attacks, etc. yet he averages 50+. Even using howardj's criteria of taking 5 runs off for being in this current batting era, the record is still outstanding. Yes he struggled in England but no Aussie batsman consistently did well against the English attack and in reality, it was mainly Andy Flintoff which exploited his technique outside off-stump.

As for records against decent attacks, how about these?

http://aus.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1999-2000/PAK_IN_AUS/SCORECARDS/PAK_AUS_T2_18-22NOV1999.html

http://aus.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2003-04/AUS_IN_SL/SCORECARDS/AUS_SL_T2_16-20MAR2004.html

http://aus.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2004-05/AUS_IN_IND/SCORECARDS/AUS_IND_T1_06-10OCT2004.html

Fact is, Gilchrist struggling against England is not really a criticism because any attack containing Harmison, Jones and Flintoff with excellent support from Hoggard with the new-ball is getting a bit above 'decent', especially in the last series. I actually rate Giles for the role he performs too but I know no-one else does so I'll leave him out.

 

[Eclipse]

I would love to have seen Gilchrist bat at 3 or 4 throughout his career because i don't think his numbers would be anywhere near where they're at now, also struggles against quality attacks and on pitches that offer assistance to the seamers.

No way.. Flintoff is the only bowler to ever exploit him in that area or make him look suspect outside of stump, It's just something about the way Flintoff bowls and honestly EVERY left hander will struggle against him if he continiues to bowl that way getting that kind of movement and bounce.

Usualy Gilly does well against the new ball I don't think his average would go down much if he was higher in the order maybe 4-5 runs.

 

[Anna]

I love watching Ponting & Vaughan play the pull shot Not that it's a textbook shot but KP's almost baseball-like wallop that almost decapitated Trescothick (had he not dropped to the deck!) in the floodlit 1 dayer against Aus in the summer was awesome!

 

[Prince EWS]

Cemented-footed waft outside off stump leading to an edge- Brendan Taylor.

Hook shot to an off stump yorker- Vusi Sibanda.

 

[thierry henry]

Umm Gilchrsit has very good controll over his cut shots, yes he hits them hard but he places them exeptionaly well and or though they often go close to the fieldsman in the air he doesn't get cought there much at all these days. or though he used to.

He scores more runs of the cut than both those players.

Yeah he does score a lot of runs from it. Yeah it is effective. But that doesn't mean that it doesn't look like a horrible loose swish. Which it does.

 

[thierry henry]

Hook shot to an off stump yorker- Vusi Sibanda.

Gilchrist is the master of playing the pull shot to off-stump half volleys. Only thing is, rather than looking like a goose, the bugger actually hits them.

 

[Eclipse]

Yeah he does score a lot of runs from it. Yeah it is effective. But that doesn't mean that it doesn't look like a horrible loose swish. Which it does.

Well that's all that really matters... he used to get cought at gully and point alot but now days that's rare and he still hits it as hard and often as he ever has..

It's more an ilusion that it looks like a loose swish, he doesn't move his feet all that much but he is natrualy in a good position to cut the ball so he doesn't need to and it's the fact he swings so hard that makes it look loose.

 

[Eclipse]

Gilchrist is the master of playing the pull shot to off-stump half volleys. Only thing is, rather than looking like a goose, the bugger actually hits them.

haha well maybe not quite half vollys but I agree he can and does play pull shots to balls others would never dream of doing.

 

[Hanuma]

i always find it a weird feature of cricket that there are set shots that are taught...surely the way forward is batting almost totally reliant on brilliant hand eye and natural feel!

 

[Barney Rubble]

Hook shot to an off stump yorker- Vusi Sibanda.

Trying to duck under a straight yorker and getting bowled - Chris Read.

 

[Jason_M]

Flintoff hasn't been the only one to trouble Gilchrist from around the wicket, Chaminda Vaas was the first to cause him trouble about 4 or 5 years ago by bowling him through the gate a couple of times, unfortunately bowlers have not gone around the wicket enough to him to exploit this MAJOR weakness in his game until Flintoff.

To tell you the truth its one of many weaknesses...he hits the ball in the air way too often to be called a geniune strokemaker and he has poor footwork which probably explains the former.

"It really does stretch the bounds of credulity when you claim Gilchrist has poor technique and struggles against quality attacks, etc. yet he averages 50+. "

That says alot about the quality of the bowling stocks around the world since Gilchrist's international career began in the late 90's, also it shows just how dominant the Australians were/are, coming in to bat at 5 for 400 isn't exactly a pressure situation.

You send him up to bat at number 3 and i guarantee you he won't handle it even in this strong Australian team. It would be interesting to see Gilchrist face McGrath, Lee and Warne, i reckon they would get his wicket within half an hour every time.

 

[ir0n desi]

For mine and I'm not really going on elegance and how good a shot looks but rather it's effectivness.

Cover Drive Front foot : Lara
Cover Drive backfoot : SRT
Cut Shot: Shewag / Gilchrist
Pull / Hook : Ponting
Leg glance : Laxman?
On Drive: Ponting
Off drive: No sure SRT of old used to play it well
Sweep: Lara?
Slog Sweep: Tresco maybe?
General Slog over midwicket: Gilchrist
Best footwork to spinners: Clarke and Lara
Square Drive: hmmmm would have been Martyn I think?
Straight sixes and lofted drives: Flintoff, Gayle, Symonds
Late cut: ????
French cut: Vaughan


And what player do you think has the best trademark shot that they play better than anyone when in full flow?

Late Cut: Dravid

 

[vic_orthdox]

Flintoff hasn't been the only one to trouble Gilchrist from around the wicket, Chaminda Vaas was the first to cause him trouble about 4 or 5 years ago by bowling him through the gate a couple of times, unfortunately bowlers have not gone around the wicket enough to him to exploit this MAJOR weakness in his game until Flintoff.

Wow, selective memory.

In that OD Triangular series (SL/Aus/Emng) where Vaas took his wicket a number of times, you'd remember that Gough also went through him from RA around the wicket a few times. After that series, bowling attack after bowling attack used that tactic, and Gilchrist slayed those attacks too - and has had success against Vaas since.

You'd also notice that Vaas isn't a RA around the wicket bowler, and that there is quite a difference in the angle of a delivery bowled from RA around to LA over. The success that Flintoff found can be largely put down to the different angle he provides from RA around. He gets very close to the stumps (just like he bowls from reasonably wide of the crease when going over the wicket) thus creating a LA over like angle, and then proceeded to bowl some of the best bowling that an Australian side has faced in years.

You can't just get players from other countries to "do that", and repeat it ad nauseum. Some don't have the natural talent, and others don't have the ability, nor the chance to play in the conditions, where they can move the ball around like English did to all the Australian batsmen, and in this case, like Flintoff did to Gilchrist.

 

[Top_Cat]

In that OD Triangular series (SL/Aus/Emng) where Vaas took his wicket a number of times, you'd remember that Gough also went through him from RA around the wicket a few times. After that series, bowling attack after bowling attack used that tactic, and Gilchrist slayed those attacks too - and has had success against Vaas since.

Indeed Vaas knocked him over each time (bar one) they played against each other that tourney. Unfortunately, Gilchrist hit 131, 154, 47 and 41 in 5 innings and in those two tons, Vaas got him caught trying to up the run-rate because it was all too easy. In fact, having watched the video recently, only once did Vaas knock him over when Gilchrist wasn't trying to up the run-rate.

His troubles against Gough and Mullally were pretty acute but against Vaas, Gilchrist was pretty successful.

http://aus.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/...S/SCORECARDS/AUS_SL_CUODS_ODI3_13JAN1999.html

http://aus.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/...S/SCORECARDS/AUS_SL_CUODS_ODI7_21JAN1999.html

http://aus.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/...S/SCORECARDS/AUS_SL_CUODS_ODI9_24JAN1999.html

http://aus.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/.../SCORECARDS/AUS_SL_CUODS_ODI12_31JAN1999.html

http://aus.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/.../SCORECARDS/AUS_SL_CUODS_ODI15_07FEB1999.html

You can't just get players from other countries to "do that", and repeat it ad nauseum. Some don't have the natural talent, and others don't have the ability, nor the chance to play in the conditions, where they can move the ball around like English did to all the Australian batsmen, and in this case, like Flintoff did to Gilchrist.

And this is the core point, really. It's not really much of a weakness if only the very best can consistently exploit it or it takes a specific and difficult-to-bowl delivery to to the job. It's like saying that because Dean Jones had a run of outs to Hadlee in the 80's, therefore he must be susceptible to out-swing. Of that because Daryl Cullinan got out to Warnie a bunch of times, he must be susceptible to spinners. Yes, if bowlers get it right, they can trouble Gilchrist. But, if they don't, they should expect to be pumelled.

That says alot about the quality of the bowling stocks around the world since Gilchrist's international career began in the late 90's, also it shows just how dominant the Australians were/are, coming in to bat at 5 for 400 isn't exactly a pressure situation.

This is and always has been a disingenuous criticism of Gilchrist's batting. Yes he's gotten some tons against tired attacks at 5/300-odd. No doubt. What this completely ignores is the hundreds and high-50's he's gotten when Australia have been in all sorts of trouble or Australia's been behind in the match. Here's a couple I can see without thinking about it too much;

http://aus.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1999-2000/PAK_IN_AUS/SCORECARDS/PAK_AUS_T2_18-22NOV1999.html

http://aus.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1999-2000/AUS_IN_NZ/SCORECARDS/AUS_NZ_T1_11-15MAR2000.html

http://aus.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1999-2000/AUS_IN_NZ/SCORECARDS/AUS_NZ_T3_31MAR-04APR2000.html

http://aus.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2000-01/AUS_IN_IND/SCORECARDS/AUS_IND_T1_27FEB-03MAR2001.html

http://aus.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2001-02/AUS_IN_RSA/SCORECARDS/AUS_RSA_T2_08-12MAR2002.html

http://aus.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2003-04/AUS_IN_SL/SCORECARDS/AUS_SL_T2_16-20MAR2004.html

http://aus.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2004/SL_IN_AUS/SCORECARDS/SL_AUS_T1_01-05JUL2004.html

http://aus.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2004-05/AUS_IN_NZ/SCORECARDS/AUS_NZ_T1_10-14MAR2005.html

Just have a look at the match situation in those games and tell me Gilchrist didn't do the business when the side was under pressure. Gilchrist is a HUGE reason why the Aussies have won as many games as they have; the Aussie top-6 doesn't fire every time but when they don't Gilchrist almost inevitably does. And, I might add, Gilchrist's form troubles are a big reason why Australia couldn't turn 5/180-odd into 400+ against England like they did against everyone else.

 

[Jono]

Precisely TC. Gilly has come in when Australia have been in trouble various occasions, as you have pointed out. He just happens to also belt attacks when Australia are also on top. You can't hold that against him.

 

[sqwerty]

Cover drive - Brad Hodge

 

[Prince EWS]

Cover drive - Brad Hodge

Flick through straight midwicket - Dwayne Bravo.