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Gilchrist strikes fear in hearts of bowlers

Source: Times Online - June 16, 2005

Adam Gilchrist may not have given England any nightmares after the first Twenty20 international at the Rose Bowl but the Australia wicketkeeper is the world's scariest batsman, according to a poll of 26 international bowlers in the July issue of the Wisden Cricketer.

They were asked to name one-day cricket's hardest hitter, the batsman most likely to wreck their figures, the biggest hit they had seen and the world's most frightening batsman with players receiving one point for a mention and five points for being nominated as the scariest.

Gilchrist was the clear winner, but other mighty hitters such as Shahid Afridi, Virender Sehwag and Andrew Flintoff found themselves beaten into second place by Brian Lara.

The hardest hitter? Makhaya Ntini was in no doubt. "Chris Gayle," he said. "Man, he hits it hard!" Jason Gillespie agreed but Heath Streak and Upul Chandana went for Afridi.

The biggest hit? Matthew Hoggard and Paul Collingwood both remember Nathan Astle hitting Andrew Caddick out of the ground during his double-century against England in Christchurch in 2001-02.

Gilchrist accepted the accolade with typical modesty. "I guess it's an honour in a strange kind of way, but it's not something I place a lot of emphasis on," he said.

- PAT GIBSON