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Gilchrist on song

Source: The Hindu - October 8, 2005

MELBOURNE: Outside the Telstra Dome, suburban trains flashed by. Inside the enclosed arena, Adam Gilchrist blitzed the track. A mean, sleek and furiously fast locomotive, he was on Friday. A left-hander with the right answers, a hurricane man with a calm exterior. And Australia awoke from a recent slumber.

In a performance oozing commitment and intensity, Ricky Ponting's team grabbed a decisive 2-0 lead in the ICC Johnnie Walker World Super Series. The third match will be played at the same venue on Sunday.

It is never easy to pursue 328, even on a surface loaded with runs. Blistering salvos from Chris Gayle and Kumara Sangakkara notwithstanding, the World XI was always likely to succumb to the pressures of the chase under the lights. The visitors first lost the toss, and then the match.

It's pride hurt and championship status questioned in recent times, Australia, without Glenn McGrath, sent back a crowd of 28,000 largely Australian supporters smiling with a 55-run win. The man who set the ball rolling was Man of the Match Gilchrist.

Calculated aggression

Speed thrills, so does Gilchrist. Yet, it's not just the pace of his run-getting that hurts the opposition. His calculated aggression forces bowlers to alter methods, captains to change strategies, coaches to rework tactics.

Perfectly good deliveries are dismissed to the fence, and holes appear on the field. Gilchrist creates situations. Psychologically, the attack shifts from hunting for scalps to saving runs.

This also opens up scoring avenues for the rest of the batsmen. No wonder, the West Australian is such an influential cricketer.

Gilchrist raced to the quickest ODI hundred by an Australian, consuming just 73 balls. He had surpassed former Aussie skipper Allan Border's 78-ball effort and his own record (78 balls). But then, the joy this man spreads with his intrepid ways extends way beyond numbers.

On a day when icy winds brought the jackets out, Gilchrist's fireworks provided much warmth to the spectators that roared in appreciation. His ability to pick the length of a delivery early and get into a position quicker than most is the key to his success.

Simon Katich was not a silent partner in the solid opening partnership of 110 in 19.3 overs. It's just that Gilchrist scattered the attack. The Ashes wounds being fresh, his face-off with Andrew Flintoff was memorable.

Engaging cricket

Flintoff sent one hissing past Gilchrist's nose. The Australian responded by stepping a couple of yards down and smashing the Englishman to the cover fence. Flintoff winced in anguish, Gilchrist prepared for the next offering. This was engaging cricket.

After the path was opened by Gilchrist's onslaught, Ponting, Damien Martyn, and Andrew Symonds, who biffed a 14-ball unbeaten 31, played valuable hands.

The World XI attack was star-studded, but could not settle into a rhythm. The problem with a side that is assembled rather than bound together is that the roles are not clearly defined.

Apart from off-spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan, none was able to command respect. Shoaib Akhtar, the shadow of inconsistency still looming, and Flintoff were taken to the cleaners. The fielding from the team of giants was patchy as well.

When the Rest began its quest, a well-directed short-pitched lifter from Brett Lee prised out Virender Sehwag. Gayle and Sangakkara soon cut loose with a flurry of strokes, but failed to consolidate when they had the bowling at mercy.

Left-arm paceman Nathan Bracken operated with control and scalped Brian Lara and Flintoff, who perished in their quest for quick runs. The hamstring injury to Kevin Peitersen did not help matters for World XI either.

Both the sides ended their power play overs in the first half of the innings. Gilchrist had decided the course of the contest in this phase when Australia batted.