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The Adam Gilchrist Tribute Thread

silentstriker

The Wheel is Forever
The great man retires. What a fantastic cricketer, and a great guy. He'd walk into my all time Test XI.

The fact that he was a genuine walker means he has my utmost respect. Here is an article from Sangakarra: Adam the revolutionary
 
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Anil

Hall of Fame Member
he wouldn't be in my all-time test xi but he has been one of the most exceptional cricketers of his generation, by far the best batsman ever among 'keepers...and a very competent 'keeper to boot...and one of the best lower middle order batsman ever...he would be in my all-time one day xi as a middle order batsman and 'keeper though...
 
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Ikki

Hall of Fame Member
Already said so much about him but probably not enough. Sangakkara made some great points in his article about Gilchrist. He changed the way a wicket-keeper batsmen were viewed and to compete other Test nations needed their own Gilchrists'.

Probably just outside the top 1-2 pure-keepers in terms of glovework but reigns supreme as the best overall keeper because of his batting. As Manan said, he'd walk into my all-time Test XI. Only other player, bar Bradman, that would get into that hypothetical side so easily because he was so much better than his rivals.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
If he's not the best wicketkeeper-batsman ever, he's damn well in the top two two\three.

Superb wicketkeeper, very possibly the best batsman in The World for a fairly brief time.

As I've said - the greatest compliment that can be paid him IMO is the fact that the "search for a Gilchrist of our own" that so many perport to make (and are obviously making even without claiming it) is foredoomed to be utterly forlorn. There may be decent wicketkeeper-batsmen, but I doubt anyone else will do what he's done, maybe ever again, certainly for a long, long time.

Only 2 have a more unequivocal case for best-ever-XI selection for mine, in Sobers and Bradman.

That added to the fact he's probably the most gentlemanly destroyer ever.
 

silentstriker

The Wheel is Forever
As I've said - the greatest compliment that can be paid him IMO is the fact that the "search for a Gilchrist of our own" that so many perport to make (and are obviously making even without claiming it) is foredoomed to be utterly forlorn. There may be decent wicketkeeper-batsmen, but I doubt anyone else will do what he's done, maybe ever again, certainly for a long, long time.
That's a great point - very few players have that type of impact where every team is looking for their own version.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
CW posters have paid avatar tributes in the past few weeks - I now preserve these tributes eternally.

Perm and Darren D-L of course have always had him as an avatar, but I now bring you Akhil, Manju, Matt of '79, KaZo and Xuhaib - posters across the nations paying tribute to possibly the finest cricketer of our time.

 

Attachments

Goughy

Hall of Fame Member
CW posters have paid avatar tributes in the past few weeks - I now preserve these tributes eternally.

Perm and Darren D-L of course have always had him as an avatar, but I now bring you Akhil, Manju, Matt of '79, KaZo and Xuhaib - posters across the nations paying tribute to possibly the finest cricketer of our time.
Did I miss something? Has he died?
 

silentstriker

The Wheel is Forever
You know - I respect this guy so much that I'll part from people who truly deserve the glory (fast bowlers) to a batsman. Only for a little bit though.
 

sportsnob

Cricket Spectator
best wicketkeeper batsman? You are having a laugh!

I think he is the greatest cricketer of all time (tied with Bradman) in terms of pure VALUE to a team. Australia have been extremely fortunate to have a player who was not only exceptionally good keeper but also a brilliant batsman at no.7. I mean, a guy with an average of 50 at number SEVEN! (with a strike rate of bloody 82!)

To put that in perspective, Wisden's best wicket keeper batsman is Allan Knott and he had an average of 32.


Sangakarra put it brilliantly when he says that Gilchrist put so much pressure on other teams to find batsmen who could keep (do you remember Dravid keeping wicket through the 2003 world cup?)

Lets not forget that Gilly replaced not one but two Australian legends in the one-day squad- Ian Healy and Mark Taylor (as opener). Gilchrist is to my money, one of the top 3 cricketers of all time. And its a pity that people just overlook him because he is a keeper , if he happened to be a bowler with 200+ wickets, I am sure the pundits would have looked at him even more favourably.
 

Burgey

Request Your Custom Title Now!
The only time I ever saw Gilchrist play with a remotely selfish attitude was in that ODI in Perth last month, where he went from 85 to his ton in singles, and the innings lost momentum.
I echo what Richard says about an all-time XI - his claims to be in there are imo very compelling.
But it was the way he went about it. When did Gilchrist ever care about his average? Not for him a neat 30 or 40 not out before a declaration - rather he came out to bat always (barr that one occasion) with the team not just foremost in his mind, but soley in his mind. After 96 tests and a zillion ODIs, I think that's a tremendous thing to be able to say about a player.
Arguably the most selfless cricketer I've ever seen. I'm very, very glad I saw him play.
 

howardj

International Coach
I hate to stink up a tribute thread, and I do really love Gilly, but he has the luxury of being able to not be selfish; he has the luxury of being able to walk; he has the luxury of playing with complete freedom. You can do these very admirable things if you're a keeper/senior player whose place in the team is both secure and is not dependant on your batting. Did he walk from 1999-2003 (early on in his international career)? Or did it start at the WOrld Cup 2003?

I'd be more impressed if he was a newly-selected specialist batsman still making his way in the team - and he was doing the above selfless acts.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
The first time he talked about it was in WC2003, and my impression was that it was a decision he'd made there and then, the way he talked about "I think it's time for cricketers to start being honest with each other". But I might be wrong: he might have been a walker before then and it had simply never attracted any attention.
 

FaaipDeOiad

Hall of Fame Member
The third name in my All-Time XI, after Bradman and Sobers. He's simply a clear choice ahead of everyone else who has ever played in his position, and you can't get a bigger compliment than that. At his peak he was one of the most dangerous batsmen in test history, and pretty consistent to go with that, and IMO he has been somewhat underrated as a keeper, mainly because of his batting. Essentially, people are more focused on finding faults with Gilchrist's keeping because he was such a good batsman, while in reality I think he was close to the best keeper in the world for most of his career. There were a couple of other contenders, but even leaving aside his batting he was very good, and generally deserved a spot, even if he might not make the list of the greatest keepers of all time without his batting. Throw in the fact that he would have made any test side in the world as a batsman through the peak of his career and you've got a truly remarkable player.

Also quite nice to watch for such an aggressive batsman. Could score very fast playing fairly orthodox shots, and a great guy as well. Very glad I saw him play.
 

pasag

RTDAS
The main thing I could say in tribute to his career is as Lawry or whoever always says, he was an entertainer. When he got to the crease there was always an anticipation that something special could happen. It didn't always, but when it did it was a sight to behold. You'd never get up to get a drink or go to the bathroom when Gilchrist was batting. The most vivid memory of his career I had wasn't anything on the field. It was from an ODI a couple of years a go and he had gotten out for a first ball duck, and there was this big, older woman sitting there and she looked like she was about to cry she was that disappointed, her facial expression was priceless and really sums it up for mine.
 

shortpitched713

International Captain
See the ball, hit it. Truly a batting genius and like McGrath one can point out both his simple approach and natural gifts as the reasons for his great success.
 

Precambrian

Banned
The great man retires. What a fantastic cricketer, and a great guy. He'd walk into my all time Test XI.

The fact that he was a genuine walker means he has my utmost respect. Here is an article from Sangakarra: Adam the revolutionary
Well done Adam! The best Wicketkeeper-bat in the history of the game and one of the genuine matchwinners. Conditions/pitches/bowlers rarely matter when he is on song. And an absolute gentleman.

Also a genuine walker since 2003 WC (Coz in the Ashes just prior to that, he didnt walk despite sound nicks behind in the Sydney test)
 

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