adam gilchrist

Born: 14.11.1971
State: Western Australia
Tests: 90
Role: Wicketkeeper-batsman
Bat: Left-hand
Bowl: n/a
Bat Average: 48.66
Bowl Average: n/a

Arguably the man who turned a great Australian side into the greatest, Adam Gilchrist has been the most exciting cricketer of the modern era.

Gilchrist makes the game simple - when asked for his phlosophy on batting, he replied "Just hit the ball" - and he is incredibly effective.

Gripping the bat at the very end of the handle, good balls are pushed into gaps and the rest are smashed to the fence.

When England toured four years ago, coach Duncan Fletcher had a notebook filled with tactics and methods to dismiss the Aussies. Next to Gilchrist's name there was nothing but a question mark.

Time and again Gilchrist has rescued his side from a seemingly perilous position, and there is undoubtedly no other batsman in Test history who has possessed his class and batted most of his career at number seven.

He has scored more runs and more centuries than any other wicketkeeper and has done so at a staggering strike rate of over 80 runs per 100 balls.

So phenomenal is Gilchrist's record, it now appears a mistake for Australia to have kept faith with Ian Healy - arguably the greatest wicketkeeper of all time - for so long.

He is also one of the few modern players to walk, even doing it when given not out in a World Cup semi-final.

Test cricket is being played at a pace unprecedented in its history, and Gilchrist more than any other player is responsible for the explosion in scoring rates.

Last year, though, the question mark in Fletcher's notebook was replaced with Andrew Flintoff cramping Gilchrist from round the wicket. England's ability to nullify the Gilchrist factor was a key feature of the Ashes win, enabling them to keep Australia on the back foot in situations where they have often bounced back to win.

But despite those struggles he remains a crucial component of the Australian machine, and is set to overhaul Ian Healy's record of 395 Test dismissals.

As a keeper, Gilchrist is undoubtedly passed his peak and in contrast to his explosive batting, his glovework is quiet and efficient. But while the stunning grabs may now elude him, he still makes few errors and keeps well standing up to Shane Warne.