Adam Craig Gilchrist AM[1] (born 14 November 1971), nicknamed Gilly or Church,[2] is an Australian international cricketer who currently captains Kings XI Punjab and recently captained Middlesex.[3] He is an attacking left-handed batsman and record-breakingwicket-keeper, who redefined the role for the Australian national team through his aggressive batting. He is considered to be one of the greatest wicket-keeper-batsmen in the history of the game.[4][5] 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.[6][7] 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 cricket.[8] He is the only player to have hit 100 sixes in Test cricket.[9] His 17 Test and 16 ODI centuries are the most by a wicket-keeper.[10][11] He holds the unique record of scoring at least 50 runs in successive World Cup finals (in 1999, 2003 and 2007)[12] and is one of only three players to have won three titles.[13]
Gilchrist is renowned for walking when he considers himself to be out, sometimes contrary to the decision of the umpire.[14][15] He made his first-class debut in 1992, his first One-Day International appearance in 1996 in India and his Test debut in 1999.[3] 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.[16][17] He retired from international cricket in March 2008.
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 on 25 October 1996 as the 129th Australian ODI cap,[3][44][45] after an injury to incumbent Ian Healy.[28] 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 duckfrom the bowling of Paul Reiffel.[45] He was run out for a duck in his only other ODI on the tour.[19] Healy resumed his place during the 1996–97 season. Gilchrist replaced 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][47] It was during this series that Gilchrist made his first ODI half-century, with an innings of 77 in Durban.[48] He totalled 127 runs at 31.75 for the series.[19] Gilchrist went on to play in theTexaco Trophy later in 1997 in the 3–0 series loss against England, scoring 53 and 33 in two innings.[19][49]
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.[50] This came after Australia failed to qualify for the previous season’s ODI triangular series final for the first time in 17 years.[51] The new team was initially unconvincing, losing all four round robin matches against South Africa in the 1997–98 Carlton & United Series,[52] with multiple players filling Taylor's role as Mark Waugh's opening partner without success.[52] Gilchrist also struggled batting in the lower order at number seven, the conventional wicket-keeper's batting position, scoring 148 runs at 24.66 in the eight qualifying matches.[19][53] 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.[54] However, in the second final, Gilchrist struck his maiden ODI century, spearheading Australia's successful run chase at the Sydney Cricket Ground,[19] securing his position as an opening batsman.[55] Australia won the third final to claim the title.[56]
Touring New Zealand in February 1998, Gilchrist topped that Australia averages with 200 runs at 50.00,[57] including a match-winning 118 in the first match.[19] He also effected his first ODI stumping, the wicket of Nathan Astle in the Second ODI in Wellington.[58] Australia then played two triangular tournaments in Asia. Gilchrist struggled in India, scoring 86 runs at 17.20.[19] 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 37.13 with the bat.[59]
Gilchrist won a silver medal at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, the only time cricket has been in the Commonwealth Games. The matches did not have ODI status, and after winning their first four fixtures, Australia lost the final to South Africa, Gilchrist making 15.[19][60] He then scored 103 and ended with 190 runs at 63.33 as Australia took a rare 3–0 whitewash on Pakistani soil.[19]
Gilchrist was in fine form ahead of the 1999 Cricket World Cup with a productive individual performance in the Carlton & United Series in January and February 1999 against Sri Lanka and England. He finished with 525 runs at a batting average of 43.75 with two centuries—both against Sri Lanka—and a fifty, and a total of 27 dismissals in 12 matches.[61][62] His 131 helped Australia set a new record for a successful run-chase at the SCG,[citation needed] and he followed this with 154 at the MCG, a new Australian record ODI score.[19][citation needed]
The 1999 tour of the West Indies was Australia’s last campaign before the World Cup and continued to prove Gilchrist's ability as a wicketkeeper-batsman. Gilchrist, with a batting average of 28.71 and a strike rate of nearly 90.00, and seven fielding dismissals in a seven-match series which ended 3–3 with one tie
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