Adam Gilchrist


Full Name: Adam Craig Gilchrist
Born: 14 November 1971 (1971-11-14), Bellingen, New South Wales, Australia
Nickname: Gilly, Churchie
Height: 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Batting style: Left Hand
Bowling style: Right-arm off break
Role: Wicket-keeper-batsman


Adam Craig Gilchrist born 14 November 1971, nicknamed Gilly or Church, is an Australian international cricketer who currently captains Kings XI Punjab and recently captained Middlesex. He is an attacking left-handed batsman and record-breaking wicket-keeper, who redefined the role for the Australian national team through his aggressive batting. He is considered to be one of the greatest wicket-keeper-batsmen in the history of the game. He holds the world record for the most dismissals by a wicket keeper in One Day International cricket and the most by an Australian in Test cricket. His strike rate is amongst the highest in the history of both One-day and Test cricket and he currently holds the record for the second fastest century in Test cricket. He is the only player to have hit 100 sixes in Test cricket. His 17 Test and 16 ODI centuries are the most by a wicket-keeper. He holds the unique record of scoring at least 50 runs in successive World Cup finals (in 1999, 2003 and 2007) and is one of only three players to have won three titles.

Gilchrist is renowned for walking when he considers himself to be out, sometimes contrary to the decision of the umpire. He made his first-class debut in 1992, his first One-Day International appearance in 1996 in India and his Test debut in 1999. During his career, he played for Australia in 96 Test matches and over 270 One-day internationals. He was Australia's vice-captain in both forms of the game, captaining the team when regular captains Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting were unavailable. He retired from international cricket in March 2008.

Early and personal life

Adam Gilchrist was born in 1971 at Bellingen Hospital, in Bellingen, New South Wales. He and his family lived in Dorrigo, Junee and then Deniliquin where, playing for his school, Deniliquin South Public School, he won the Brian Taber Shield (named after New South Wales cricketer Brian Taber). At the age of 13, his parents, Stan and June, moved the family to Lismore where Gilchrist captained the Kadina High School cricket team. Gilchrist was selected for the state under-17 team, and in 1989 he was offered a scholarship by London-based Richmond Cricket Club, a scheme he now supports himself. He moved to Sydney and joined the Gordon Club in Sydney Grade Cricket, later moving to Northern Districts.

He is married to his high school sweetheart Melinda (Mel) Gilchrist (née Sharpe), a dietitian, and they have two sons, Harrison and Archie, and a daughter, Annie Jean. Gilchrist’s personal life became newsworthy early in 2007, as his youngest child was due to be born around the scheduled start of the 2007 Cricket World Cup, and this threatened Gilchrist's presence in the early stages of the tournament in March. Archie’s early arrival (in February) meant that Gilchrist was able to declare himself available for the whole competition.


Indian Premier League

Gilchrist was contracted by the Hyderabad-based Deccan Chargers in the inaugural season's player auction for US$700,000. In Deccan's fourth match of the inaugural 2008 season, Gilchrist hammered the second fastest hundred in the IPL, off just 42 balls, as Deccan recorded their first win, against Mumbai. Gilchrist led the Deccan Chargers in the second half of the IPL in the absence of regular captain VVS Laxman, who was ruled out for the rest of the tournament due to injury. Deccan came last, winning only two of 14 matches.

In the second season, Gilchrist was installed as captain in place of Laxman by new coach and former Australian teammate Darren Lehmann. The team started well and won their first four matches but stumbled and won only three of their remaining ten qualifying matches. They qualified fourth into the semifinals and Gilchrist led the team to the final by striking 85 off just 35 balls against the Delhi Daredevils. Although made a duck in the final against the Bangalore Royal Challengers, Deccan won by six runs to take the title. Gilchrist was named the Player of The Tournament. He is the first player to score 1000 runs in the IPL.

In the fourth season, Gilchrist was contracted by Kings XI Punjab for US$900,000.

Awards

Gilchrist was one of five Wisden Cricketers of the Year for 2002, and Australia's One-day International Player of the Year in 2003 and 2004. He was awarded the Allan Border Medal in 2003, and was the only Australian cricketer currently playing to have been named in "Richie Benaud's Greatest XI" in 2004. He was selected in the ICC World XI for the charity series against the ACC Asian XI, 2004–05, was voted as "World's Scariest Batsman" in a poll of international bowlers, and was named as wicket-keeper and opening batsman in Australia's "greatest ever ODI team." In a poll of over ten thousand people hosted in 2007 by Cricinfo, he was voted the ninth greatest all-rounder of the last one hundred years. A panel of prominent cricket writers selected him in Australia’s all-time best XI for Cricinfo. Gilchrist has not only left his mark on Australian cricket but the whole cricketing world.

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