BBC - "Gilchrist ends Australia career"

[Speedboy Salesman]

Originally Posted by BBC

Australia wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist has announced his retirement all forms of international cricket.

The 36-year-old will retire from Tests after the current match against India, and will quit one-day internationals at the end of the season.
"It's with great pride that I make the decision to retire," said Gilchrist, who on Friday broke the record for the most Test dismissals by a gloveman.
"I came to this decision after much discussion with those important to me."
Since Australia's 5-0 Ashes whitewash in 2006-7, Damien Martyn, Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Justin Langer have all left the international scene.
Now that Gilchrist has departed, 30-year-old New South Welshman Brad Haddin is expected to be faced with the challenge of becoming Australia's next wicket-keeper/batsman.

Haddin has played 26 one-day internationals, scoring three fifties at an average of 31, and also played four Twenty20 games, but has yet to feature at Test level.
Gilchrist made his Test debut in 1999, and scored 5,556 runs, taken 377 catches and made 37 stumpings in his 96 consecutive appearances.
Another notable record that Gilchrist takes with him is the highest number of Test sixes, and against Sri Lanka in November 2007 he became the first batsman to reach 100 maximums.
He also won the World Cup with Australia in 1999, 2003 and 2007 in his role as a devastating batsman for Australia's one-day side.
In the third Ashes Test at Perth in 2006 he smashed the second-fastest Test century, from 57 balls - just one more than Viv Richards in 1986 - hitting three sixes in an over off Monty Panesar.


It was the last of his 17 hundreds, and he reached three figures against all nine of Australia's major Test opponents.
His final World Cup innings was also a memorable one, firing 13 fours and eight sixes from 149 from 104 balls in the final against Sri Lanka.
"I thank all my team mates and support staff who have given me the most enjoyable, fun career anyone could hope for and to the many officials and opponents I have come across.
"It has been terrific to play against you and more importantly get to know you."
Former Australia opener Michael Slater said: "We're all shocked but I think it's a good decision.
"He was a superstar who changed the face of cricket. He has set a standard for keeper/batsmen that I dodn't think will ever be matched."

Another former Australia opener, Justin Langer, added: "He is one of the best players I have ever played with and the best wicket-keeper/batsman who has ever played the game."
Cricket Australia Chairman Creagh O'Connor paid a fitting tribute to the popular left-hander.
"Adam has unquestionably been Australia's finest ever wicketkeeper batsman," he said.
"He has been a great adornment to the game of cricket and his statistics with bat and gloves speak for themselves. "His influence on the game has gone well beyond statistics both in terms of the dignity with which he has played the game and his respect for the traditions and the spirit of cricket."

Well it's all come to an end. A shame.

[Warne]

I know it was coming but it's a very sad day. It's going to take some time get adjusted to see Gilchrist not being behind the stumps. My 2nd favorite player of all time after Shane Warne.

Gilly has been incredible as a player, as a man. Thanks for the memories.

[sanketh84]

as they say...all good things have to come to an end!!! one of the best wicket keeper batsmen the game has witnessed. literally terrorised oponent bowlers in the ODI format opening with hayden. i couldn't help but wonder if this decision though has been made in the right frame of mind. i mean a person says he's not thinking about it on friday evening suddenly announcing it on saturday makes it somewhat fishy. i know that the australian team sets high standards for itself...but i really thought he had a good 1yr of cricket left in him with his fitness, he was sorta indicating that as well on friday. i thought the media was unfairly criticizing him for one missed opportunity during this game, people have that one off day and bad patches while batting r common to the greatest batsmen. i cant say much if genuinely he felt he wanted to leave the game on a high with his new record and wanted to spend more time with family...thats gotta be upto him. its gonna be tough for haddin or whoever replaces to fill the shoes of gilly. we will miss those lofts and shots square of the wicket,balls picked up from waist high to be dispatched over midwicket...fantastic stuff!!!! thanks for thoroughly entertaining us except while playing against india... :-)

[Moss]

A shame. Gilchrist was one of the Australians who I felt played very much in the spirit of the game, and not a bad batsman/wicket keeper either.

[Rachael]

Despite being dubbed "iron gloves" early in his career... respectable glovework and excellent batting ensured that stepping into Rod Marsh's shoes was going to be tough. Healy raised the bar: better glovework partnered by the same, excellent batting set standards that Gilchrist must have known were out of his reach before he even started.

Gilchrist's successor has no bigger shoes to fill than his two predecessors: glovework wise... succeeding Gilchrist is a damn sight more straightforward than succeeding Healey... and batting wise.... with the top order that Australia can boast... who cares?

Gilchrist's successor doesn't have to worry about replacing Gilchrist's runs... because the top 6 can deliver those anyway: he needs to worry about the glovework...

[acker]

Gilchrists succesor needs to worry about both.

The succesor and Australia are in a great position, if he is 70% as good a player as Gilchrist he will be declared a champion.

[Warne]

Originally Posted by Rachael

Despite being dubbed "iron gloves" early in his career... respectable glovework and excellent batting ensured that stepping into Rod Marsh's shoes was going to be tough. Healy raised the bar: better glovework partnered by the same, excellent batting set standards that Gilchrist must have known were out of his reach before he even started.

Gilchrist's successor has no bigger shoes to fill than his two predecessors: glovework wise... succeeding Gilchrist is a damn sight more straightforward than succeeding Healey... and batting wise.... with the top order that Australia can boast... who cares?

Gilchrist's successor doesn't have to worry about replacing Gilchrist's runs... because the top 6 can deliver those anyway: he needs to worry about the glovework...

Yeah, Gilchrist merely revolusionized the game in a 10 year international career, almost every other wicketkeeper does that, no? Was a pretty ordinary keeper, only had 414 test dismissals in less than 100 tests. It's only in jest a lot of cricket experts started saying that he's the greatest 'keeper-batsman the game has seen after he had played only 30 odd test matches.

After all, every 'keeper is not as great as Jack Russell or Bob Taylor .

Seriously, why do you even bother to post in these threads?

[Rachael]

If what you want is a paean then you'll struggle to find a more generous one than Cricinfo - Craftsman and cavalier

[Andy Mellon]

One key reason for Gilchrist's record number of dismissals is the quality of the bowling line-up he's been serving. Bowlers like McGrath, Clark, Gillespie and Kasprowicz have been very adept at inducing the edge through to the keeper.

That said, Gilchrist has probably been in the top 3 wicketkeepers in international cricket during his whole career, and his batting puts him at the top of the list (maybe Sangakkara could be considered up there with him).

Either way, he's been a great player and ambassador for the sport, and his successor will have a tough time filling his boots - both batting wise and keeping wise. Its also a shame that he won't quite make it to 100 tests, but maybe his recent spate of poor form made him worried that he might not be able to step down on his own terms (remember how Australia axed Ian Healy).

[sanketh84]

i absolutely agree with u on this andy mellon....i was gonna say the same thing....his batting was what seperated him from the rest!!! i mean the aussie bowlers were so accurate with their lines that most dismissals were easy, having mcgrath, lee,gillespie in their line up who were accurate as hell!!! its like rahul dravid being 3rd or 4th in the list of most catches. spinners like kumble and bhajji bowling in tandem on dust bowls and dravid at first slip or bat pad, doesn't mean dravid is one of the greats in those positions.