Adam Gilchrist is an Australian cricket commentator and former cricketer. He was a left-handed batsman known for his destructive batting and was a top-of-the-line wicketkeeper. He is widely considered one of the greatest wicket-keeper batsmen in the game’s history
Wiki/Biography
Adam Craig Gilchrist was born on Sunday, 14 November 1971 (age 52 years; as of 2023) at Bellingen Hospital in Bellingen, New South Wales, Australia. His zodiac sign is Scorpio. He grew up in Dorrigo, Junee, with his family and then moved to Deniliquin, where he won the Brian Taber Shield while playing for Deniliquin South Public School.
Adam Gilchrist’s childhood photo
At 13, he moved with his family to Lismore and played for the Kadina High School cricket team as a captain. He did his last year of schooling by correspondence. His father, Stan, supported him when he got below-average results in high school and said,
Adam passed, but not as well as he should have, The studies were secondary to his sport and he was playing cricket six days a week for six months.”
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 6′ 1″
Weight (approx.): 75 kg
Hair Colour: Regular Brown
Eye Colour: Light Blue
Body Measurements (approx.): Chest: 42 Inches, Waist: 34 Inches, Biceps: 14 Inches
Family
Parents & Siblings
Adam’s father’s name is Stanley Gilchrist, and his mother’s name is June Gilchrist. His father is a cricket coach in New South Wales and was a fine cricketer during the 1960s. He played as a leg spinner and represented New South Wales in the Sheffield Shield league.
Adam Gilchrist with his parents, Stan Gilchrist (left) and June Gilchrist (right)
Adam has two elder brothers, Dene Gilchrist, and Glenn Gilchrist, and an elder sister named Jackie Gilchrist.
Adam Gilchrist (right) with his brothers during childhood
Adam Gilchrist (Top left) with his parents and siblings
Wife & Children
Adam got married to Melinda Sharpe in 1992. Melinda is a dietitian, and they have 3 sons named Harrison Gilchrist (born 2002), Archie Gilchrist (born 2007), and Ted Gilchrist (born 2011), and a daughter named Annie Jean Gilchrist (born 2005).
Adam Gilchrist with his wife and children during an event
Relationships/Affairs
Adam and Melinda were classmates when they started dating in 1989.
Adam Gilchrist and Melinda Sharpe
Signature/Autograph
Career
Domestic Cricket
New South Wales – 1992/93-1993/94
Gilchrist got the chance to play for his home team and made his first-class debut during the 1992-1993 season. He was selected as the backup for Phil Emery. Gilchrist made 274 runs at an average of 30.44 in his debut season, with just a single fifty to his name. In the second season, he only got the chance to play three first-class matches and scored just 43 runs at an average of 8.60.
Western Australia – 1994/95-2007/08
He moved to Western Australia for the 1994-1995 season where he took over from Tim Zoehrer as a wicketkeeper. Adam was recommended by Mark O’Neill, the coach at that time. He made 398 runs at an average of 26.53 which includes a century against South Australia. He also made 55 dismissals in his first season, which was the most by any wicketkeeper in Australian domestic cricket in 1994–95. In his second season, he scored 835 runs with a batting average of over 50. He also topped the chart again with 58 catches and four stumping in the 1995-96 season. He recorded the most dismissals for the next two seasons and remained at the top.
Domestic Stats
| Competition | Matches | Runs | Average | Highest Score | 100s/50s | Catches/Stumpings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| List A | 356 | 11,326 | 34.95 | 172 | 18/63 | 526/65 |
| First Class | 190 | 10,334 | 44.16 | 204* | 30/43 | 756/55 |
International
One Day Internationals
Gilchrist was included in Australia’s ODI squad for a series against South Africa in 1996; he replaced Ian Healy, who was injured. He became the 129th player to make an ODI debut for the Australian national cricket team. Gilchrist recorded his first catch as an international wicketkeeper of Hansie Cronje, who was dismissed for a golden duck by Paul Reiffel. Gilchrist’s first ODI century came in January 1998 against South Africa at the Sydney Cricket Ground, where he scored 100 runs from 104 deliveries and led Australia to a seven-wicket victory.
Test Cricket
In 1999, Gilchrist replaced Ian Healy for his Test match debut and became the 381st Australian Test cricketer to achieve this feat. Gilchrist scored his maiden Test century against Pakistan in November 1999. He made an unbeaten 149 and led his team to victory. He recorded his best-ever Test match score against South Africa, where he played an unbeaten innings of 204 runs in 212 balls and broke the record for the fastest double century in Tests at that time.
The Ashes
Gilchrist made his Ashes debut in the 2001 Ashes series which Australia won 4–1. He scored 340 runs at a batting average of 68.00 and 26 dismissals in the five-match series.
International Debut
| Format | Date | Opponent | Venue | Performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | 5 November 1999 | Pakistan | Brisbane Cricket Ground (The Gabba), Brisbane, Australia | Scored 81 runs in his debut innings |
| ODI | 25 October 1996 | South Africa | Nahar Singh Stadium, Faridabad, Haryana | Scored 18 runs, took 2 catches |
| T20I | 17 February 2005 | New Zealand | Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand | Scored 1 run |
International Records
| Records | Details |
|---|---|
| Fastest Ashes Century | Gilchrist scored 57 balls century against England at Perth, in 2006 |
| Most dismissals by an Australian wicket-keeper in Test cricket | Gilchrist recorded 414 dismissals from 96 Tests, averaging 2.2 dismissals per Test innings |
| The first player to hit 100 sixes in Test cricket | Gilchrist recorded his 100th six against Sri Lanka in Hobart on November 17, 2007 |
| Three consecutive 50s in the World Cup finals | He holds the unique record of scoring at least 50 runs in successive World Cup finals (in 1999, 2003 and 2007) |
| Most dismissals in an ODI innings | 6 dismissals against South Africa at Capetown in 2000 |
| 2nd highest number of dismissals in career | Gilchrist has a total of 905 dismissals in his international career |
| 2nd highest number of catches in career | Gilchrist has a total of 813 catches in his international career |
ICC World Cup & Champions Trophy
Gilchrist was part of the Australian team that won the World Cup three times in a row, 1999 (England), 2003 (South Africa), and 2007 (West Indies) His best innings came in the final of the 2007 World Cup at Bridgetown, where he scored 149 runs in 104 deliveries and was awarded the Man of the Match.
Gilchrist’s innings in the World Cup Final of 2007
Gilchrist also played in the first T-20 World Cup edition held in South Africa. He scored 169 runs at an average of 33.80 in the tournament. Gilchrist was part of the Australian team that won the Champions Trophy in 2006; he scored 130 runs in the tournament, with the best score of 92 runs against West Indies.
ICC World Cup Stats- One-Day International
| Matches | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | Best Score | Stumpings | Catches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | 1085 | 36.16 | 98.01 | 149* | 07 | 45 |
International Stats
| Format | Matches | Runs | HS | Average | 100s | 50s | Catches | Stumpings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test – 1999-2008 | 96 | 5,570 | 204* | 47.60 | 17 | 26 | 379 | 37 |
| ODI – 1996-2008 | 287 | 9,619 | 172 | 35.89 | 16 | 55 | 417 | 55 |
| T20I – 2005-2008 | 13 | 272 | 48 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
Retirement
Gilchrist announced his Test retirement on 26 January 2008, during the 4th and final Test of the 2007–08 series against India. He played his last One Day International match at Perth on 15 February 2008 against Sri Lanka in a triangular series with India and Sri Lanka.
Indian Premier League 2008-2013
Gilchrist during an IPL match
Gilchrist played in six seasons of the IPL. Initially, he was signed by the Deccan Chargers Hyderabad in 2008 (now dissolved) for US$700,000. He played for 3 seasons with them and won the title in 2009 as a captain. In 2011, he was signed by Kings XI Punjab for US$900,000 and was appointed as the captain. He stayed there for 3 seasons and took retirement in May 2013.
| Season | Team | Matches | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | Stumping | Catches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Deccan Chargers | 14 | 436 | 33.53 | 137.10 | 01 | 06 |
| 2009 | Deccan Chargers | 16 | 495 | 30.94 | 152.30 | 08 | 10 |
| 2010 | Deccan Chargers | 16 | 289 | 18.06 | 156.21 | 04 | 09 |
| 2011 | Kings XI Punjab | 14 | 383 | 27.35 | 129.83 | 03 | 09 |
| 2012 | Kings XI Punjab | 07 | 172 | 34.40 | 120.27 | 00 | 05 |
| 2013 | Kings XI Punjab | 13 | 294 | 24.50 | 128.38 | 00 | 12 |
County Cricket 2009-10
Gilchrist signed for Middlesex County Cricket Club in November 2009 to play T20 cricket. He was appointed as the interim captain and led the team in seven matches during the 2010 Twenty20 Cup. He scored 212 runs at an average of 30.28, including a century against Kent County Cricket Club.
Controversies
A Squash Ball
Gilchrist’s mesmerizing innings in the World Cup final in 2007 against Sri Lanka won Australia the final, and he was named the man of the match. Later, he got into a controversy when he was questioned about the use of a squash ball inside his batting glove during the innings. The MCC later clarified that he had not breached any game rules.
Gilchrist squash ball controversy in the 2007 World Cup final
Autobiography
Gilchrist’s autobiography True Colours, published in 2008, made headlines when it brought the “Monkeygate” dispute again into the limelight. He accused Sachin Tendulkar of not showing transparency in the investigation done by the ICC. He also questioned Muttiah Muralitharan’s bowling action and blamed ICC for allowing him to bowl in International Cricket.
An autobiography ‘True Colours, My Life’ by Adam Gilchrist
Awards and Achievements
- Gilchrist was one of five Wisden Cricketers of the Year for 2002.
- Australia’s One-day International Player of the Year award in 2003 and 2004
- Gilchrist won the Allan Border Medal in 2003.
- Gilchrist was the only active Australian player at the time to be named in “Richie Benaud’s Greatest XI” in 2004.
- Gilchrist was selected in the ICC World XI to play against the ACC Asian XI for a charity series, in 2004–05.
- He was voted as the world’s scariest batsman in a poll of international bowlers conducted by the Wisden Cricketer magazine.
- Gilchrist was voted as the ninth greatest all-rounder of the last one hundred years by ESPNcricinfo in 2007, the poll was conducted among 10,000 people.
- Gilchrist was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for his services to cricket and the community, in 2010.
- Gilchrist was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2012.
- Gilchrist was inducted into the prestigious ICC Hall of Fame on 9 December 2013.
- Gilchrist was named ‘Australia Post Legend of Cricket’ in 2021.
Car Collection
Adam Gilchrist has a collection of exotic cars which includes a Porsche Cayenne, a Mercedes-Benz, and a Toyota Land Cruiser.
Favourites
- Holiday Destination: The beachside town of Noosa in Australia
Facts/Trivia
- Gilchrist was the chairman of the National Australia Day Council from 2008 to 2014.
- Each of Gilchrist’s 16 ODI hundreds resulted in victory, eight came while chasing, and the remaining eight while batting first.
- Gilchrist was appointed as the Global Ambassador in 2010 by Perth-based sandalwood supplier TFS Corporation.
- Gilchrist has endorsed various brands including Nestle, Travelex, Fox Sports, Puma, and Castrol.
- He often indulges in various charity works organised by different associations like Amway Australia and World Vision.
- Gilchrist is often called ‘Gilly’ and ‘Churchy’ by his teammates and colleagues.
- A US-based Baseball club, ‘Boston Red Sox,’ offered Gilchrist the chance to play for them after he retired from cricket.
- Throughout his career, Gilchrist was known for his fair play stints, and he would often walk away from the crease without waiting for the umpire’s decision. One such incident happened in the 2003 World Cup Semifinal between Australia and Sri Lanka when Gilchrist walked out from the crease even after the field umpire declared him not out, though the third umpire later declared him out.
- Gilchrist was the first international cricketer to accommodate the commercial sponsorship on his bat ‘Travelex sticker’ in 2002.
- Gilchrist has appeared in the Australian comedy series “How to Stay Married.”
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education