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Gilchrist's still right at the top
Source: smh.com.au - January 22, 2006
Moving Adam Gilchrist down the batting order in Australia's one-day side would be a huge mistake. In any cricket team you always want your best players to get the chance to bat for as long as possible, and Gilly's ability to hit boundaries when the field is up early has to be used to the full.
Make no mistake, opposition sides fear him at the crease. He is a prized wicket, capable of turning a game in the twinkling of an eye.
The Australian selectors' decision to rest him from a couple of one-day internationals has certainly created plenty of interest and speculation about his future.
For the first time in his illustrious career, Gilly's form with the bat has been well below his best. His Test average has dropped below 50 and his most recent one-day innings have lacked substance and energy.
You do not lose your ability overnight and clearly the great workload he has had to carry has had a negative impact on his performances. The Australian team management and the selectors are well aware of this, having tried unsuccessfully to rest him from the recent tour to New Zealand.
Cricket Australia must have rocks in their heads for denying him the chance to rest for that series.
Opening the batting and wicketkeeping is a draining job but one, when he is fresh, fit and in form, Gilly does better than anyone in the history of the game.
As an opener he is a matchwinner, averaging in the high 30s with a strike rate of nearly a run a ball. He more often than not sets the tone for the innings with his flying starts.
When I was lucky enough to open the batting with him, he was the sort of player you just let play his natural game. The only area of his game I gave him any sort of advice on was to maybe just tone down his super-aggressive approach just a little in the first four or five overs.
He sees the ball so early and well that he wants to hit most balls for four. If he can just rein in his strokeplay a little during the initial new-ball period, I can see him making even more of an impact with the bat and consistently scoring higher.
Adam Gilchrist is an extraordinary talent. If managed and nurtured smartly, I believe we'll see him back to his best until at least the next World Cup.
- MARK WAUGH