All original content on this site is © 2004 - 2006 CAITE Inc. All borrowed images and articles remain copyrighted to their owners and no claim of ownership is made.

Gilchrist to keep on walking

Source: The Australian - July 02, 2005

ADAM GILCHRIST has no intention of walking away from his commitment to fair play in international cricket despite a self-inflicted gaffe during Australia's win over Bangladesh yesterday (AEST).

Gilchrist stunned his team-mates and captain Ricky Ponting, who watched perplexed from the non-striker's end, when he turned and left the field in the belief he had edged a catch to first slip after plundering 45 from 36 balls.

Australia's vice-captain is known as one of world cricket's few "walkers", although his personal choice to do so was born of a desire for players to take greater ownership of on-field issues rather than any crusade as some critics have interpreted it.

It was only when he returned to a silent Australian dressing room at Canterbury's St Lawrence ground yesterday that it suddenly dawned on the 33-year-old he may not have hit the ball at all.

His team-mates had been watching slow motion replays of the incident which indicated the ball had kicked and popped out of a deep bowlers' footmark on the pitch, which accounted for the fact it had changed course by several degrees and ended up at slip.

To compound the confusion, it appeared Gilchrist's bat had jammed into the pot hole at the same time as the deviation occurred which created the impression in the left-hander's mind that he had made contact.

Although that belief was replaced by a sense of lingering doubt upon his return to the sheds, Gilchrist maintained the strange events would not lead him to re-evaluate his principles because he had acted in good faith.

"I absolutely thought I made contact with the ball, I certainly wouldn't have walked off if I wasn't convinced," Gilchrist said yesterday.

But Ponting, who carried a somewhat quizzical air as his deputy turned and voluntarily terminated an innings which appeared set to swing the game Australia's way on a damp pitch, was equally certain no contact was made.

The skipper said he bore much of the blame for the bizarre interlude because he failed to intervene and make Gilchrist aware of the doubt over the legitimacy of the dismissal.

Ponting said he had no intention of asking Gilchrist to reconsider his moral stance even though it cost him one of his best batsman at a difficult stage of Australia's pursuit of 251, a target it eventually overhauled with 11 balls to spare.

"He has made it pretty clear through his career that if he thinks he has hit a ball, he is going to walk and that's exactly what happened," Ponting said. "From where I was, I didn't think he hit it. I turned to the umpire (Jeremy Lloyds) straight away and looked at him and we both had quite strange looks on our faces, but Adam obviously thought he hit it.

"He said later that he thought he felt something on the outside edge of his bat.

He turned around and saw the ball balloon to first slip which (meant) he put two and two together and thought that he was out caught at first slip, so he trudged off.

"As the replays I think have shown, he missed it by quite a bit."

Upon further discussion in the middle as Gilchrist left the field, Ponting learned that Lloyds was of the view the Australian wicketkeeper-batsman had hit the ball and would have given him out if the decision had been left in his hands.

Therein lies the sole shortcoming in Gilchrist's admirable decision to take some responsibility for contentious decisions.

As yesterday's events showed, even the person closest to the action remains fallible and that could expose Gilchrist to harsh judgments if he stands his ground in the genuine belief he is not out when television footage suggests otherwise.

Even though he supports Gilchrist's position, Ponting reiterated that he would not be advising any other squad members on the rights or wrongs of taking charge of the decision-making process.

"That's not a directive of mine to Adam to walk, that's his own personal choice," Ponting said.

Gilchrist's voluntary retirement looked to have created a serious dilemma for Australia when -- having allowed Bangladesh to recover from 5-75 to finish at 8-250 -- the world champion slumped to 3-83 in the 15th over.

When Ponting departed for 66, the required run rate peaked at more than a run a ball. But a mature unbeaten fifth-wicket stand of 86 between Michael Clarke (80 not out) and Andrew Symonds (42 not out) ensured another humiliation was avoided.

Despite another indifferent bowling effort and a continuation of the top-order batting wobbles yesterday, Ponting claims the team enters tonight's (AEST) series final against England at Lord's with good reason for optimism.

"Bigger games tend to bring the best out of this team and certain players in our team, and that's been proven over a long period of time," he said.

All-rounder Brad Hogg is expected to be fit for the final after missing yesterday's match with a stomach virus, while pace bowler Glenn McGrath was rested from the Canterbury game and is ready to resume against England.

- ANDREW RAMSEY