16-03-2005, 06:52 PM
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WAT Pakistan A Selector WAT selector - Zimbabwe A 2005 Founder of the Official World-A-Team King of Spain Fan Club WAT Journalist Read my Articles(ENG-captain) Passed Ted Dexter's 4502 Test runs | | Join Date: May 2004 Location: Karachi My main national team: Pakistan
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| Is spin the way to tame Gilchrist?
Oliver Brett has popped the big question here, can King of Spain exploit this weakness of Gilchirst as well? Quote: |
Originally Posted by Oliver Brett, for BBC Sport Probably the most destructive batsman in Test match cricket, Gilchrist has well over 4,000 runs at an average comfortably exceeding 50. But examining the details of his 66 appearances in Tests, one can see spinners have had a fair amount of joy against the free-scoring 33-year-old.
On the 2001 tour of India, Gilchrist fell five times to spinners in five innings, where he followed a century in Mumbai with scores of 0, 0, 1 and 2. But there then followed a far more fruitful period for Gilchrist against the slow men.In his next 31 Test appearances, he lost his wicket just eight times to spin bowlers.In that time, he scored a century at Edgbaston that set up an Ashes series triumph before pulverising South Africa in the 2001-02 winter, both home and away.
The Edgbaston innings, mentioned earlier, was the first Ashes Test of 2001. England were bowled out for 294 on the first day, and Australia stood at 336-5 in reply when Gilchrist came in. In the final session of the second day, he hit a flagging attack to every corner of Birmingham in a virtuoso innings of 152 of 143 balls. Shell-shocked, England folded in the second innings to lose by an innings and 118 runs. Ashley Giles was playing in that Test but injury has since prevented him appearing in all but one of the nine subsequent Ashes Tests.A much-improved bowler now, will his confrontation with Gilchrist this coming summer prove one of the crucial sub-plots of the 2005 Ashes series? | |