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Eyes have it: the old Gilly returns

Source: The Australian - January 5, 2006

AS always, the applause was loud and the sense of anticipation was palpable when Adam Gilchrist came to the crease. But, for the first time in a very long time, the excitement was tinged with a very public nervousness.

It is difficult for mere mortals to comprehend that a batsman of Gilchrist's dynamism, if not genius, can have had such a rough trot and even, dare we say it, looked unconvincing at the crease. An honest soul unafraid of self-appraisal, Gilchrist has conceded the loss of confidence and touch preyed on his mind.

He examined and re-examined his mental preparation, technique, footwork, concentration levels, even the sharpness of his eyes. You name it, he'd considered it and workshopped it with those closest to him.

The eyes, of course, are the key. Although his judgment has been inexplicably awry with bat in hand, his wicketkeeping has been sound. There has been the odd bye, an occasional fumble wide down the leg-side and a missed stumping in Melbourne, but nothing serious and certainly nothing to suggest his eyes were failing him in mid-life.

A year ago he was at the height of his powers with the bat, collecting four centuries in three series in Australia and New Zealand. It seemed he only needed to turn up and there was a ton for the taking.

Such heady moments were but a distant memory when he made his way to the middle yesterday. His walk was as purposeful as ever but it did not mask his edginess. He shuffled about stretching his hammies and quads and engaged in some elaborate gardening on a length and short of a length.

His apprehension was understandable given his poor numbers and the fact he has spent such little time in the middle. Certainly he did not need to be reminded he had reached 50 just once in 18 hands in 11 Tests since an undefeated 60 in Auckland in March last year. And that was his 94 against a World XI that was unfocused, perhaps even uninterested.

For a player who has revolutionised the modern game and brought crowds to grounds the world over, his fallow period exposed a vulnerability in the middle order.

After some early tentativeness he discarded his sweater. It proved symbolic. Suddenly he was unconstrained and as his confidence grew he began to reconstruct the game that he feared he had lost.

For a while his strokeplay was unusually studied and conservative. But as his hand progressed, the instinctive shot-making for which he is renowned returned and by the time he reached his half-century there was a sense of the old Gilchrist returning.

Gilchrist has no peer as an entertainer when he is on song and sixes over extra cover and mid-wicket off Shaun Pollock were akin to operatic arias. His relief in reaching 50 was clear for all to see.

For a few wild moments it seemed Gilchrist was destined to register his 16th century and complement the magnificent hundred Ricky Ponting gathered in an appropriate celebration of his 100th Test match.

But he pushed for the boundary once too often and was 14 short of the mark. That 52 of his runs came from blows to or beyond the boundary suggested he had exorcised his demons.

So frantic was his hitting that he needed to replace two bats which bear his signature. At one point acting 12th man, young NSW all-rounder Stephen O'Keeffe, ran to Gilchrist with one of the bats damaged earlier. The muddle-up brought gales of laughter from Andre Nel who continues to have spectacular interaction with crowds wherever he plays in this country.

His behaviour at times pushes the limits but not only is he quite a character he is a cricketer of real character. Yesterday he bowled with admirable persistence and deserved his rewards, especially after jagging his left ankle late in the day.

Given his preparedness to enter into some good-natured exchanges with the crowd, it was regrettable that he was the target of racial taunts from spectators near the pickets.

Although he was prepared to cop the tiresome chant of "Nel is a wanker" he was understandably upset at the racial abuse directed at him and brought it to the attention of his captain Graeme Smith and umpires Billy Bowden and Aleem Dar.

In a statement released after stumps the South African management said it "remained disappointed and distressed by the continual racist behaviour by certain elements within crowds in Australia and have once more requested adequate security be provided to the South African players".

"Such unruly behaviour is simply unacceptable and the team management expects the International Cricket Council and/or Cricket Australia to take appropriate action like they did in the past by condemning it. The South African team cannot over-emphasise the importance of eliminating all forms of racism from society."

- MIKE COWARD