Gilly’s last ever knock

Tuesday, 22 May 2012 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Australian cricketing legend Adam Gilchrist will shelf the batting pads and stow away the ‘keeper gloves, after announcing over the weekend that he has played his last game of professional cricket, reports cricinfo.com.

The big-hitting fan favourite will reportedly reassess his playing future after his team, the Kings XI Punjab, lost to the Dehli Daredevils in the Indian Premier League over the weekend. “I would say I’ve played my last game of cricket just there,” Gilchrist told cricinfo.com on Saturday. Despite planning to remove himself as a cricketer, Gilchrist hinted at his desire to pursue a promising career as a coach.

“I’ll go away and have a think about it and talk to the franchise. If the franchise is still keen to keep me involved as coach, which is a role I’ve really enjoyed, I find that I still enjoy being around the group. To be honest I didn’t miss the cricket that much,” he said. Arguably the greatest wicketkeeper Australia has ever had, since retiring in 2008 “Gilly” as he’s affectionately known, blamed his dwindling passion to play the game as the reason he decided to call it quits. “There isn’t that fire burning in my belly quite like it used to. I have to think about it but I just feel I won’t be playing.”If Gilchrist walks away from playing for good, it will mark the end of what has been a glittering career.

Holding the record for the most sixes in Test cricket (100), most Test centuries by a wicketkeeper and second most Test dismissals by a wicketkeeper, Gilchrist is hailed as one of the world’s best ever all-rounders. In One Day Internationals he has made the most dismissals by a wicketkeeper (472) and has scored more centuries than any other wicketkeeper (15). A three-time Cricket World Cup and Ashes winner, in 2003 he was awarded the prestigious Allan Border Medal. After coming out of retirement to play in the IPL Gilchrist’s knack for a vicious strike-rate with the bat and reliable place behind the stumps continued to dazzle crowds, while his sportsmanship and propensity to “walk” when he believed himself to be out, earned him the respect of the cricketing community.

Spanning twenty years, the boy from Bellingen has scored a total of 39,449 runs in International Test cricket, One Day Internationals, First Class, List A and Twenty20 cricket combined.