A Record Haul But Butter Gloves Put Heat Back On Gilchrist

The Age

Saturday January 26, 2008

By Alex Brown, Adelaide

ADAM Gilchrist may have just broken the record for Test dismissals by a wicketkeeper, but the Australian gloveman spent more time addressing issues surrounding his team's poor recent catching and his own playing future yesterday.

Shortly before Gilchrist accepted a catch from Anil Kumble to close the Indian innings - his 414th dismissal in Test cricket, passing South Africa's Mark Boucher - his predecessor Ian Healy told Channel Nine that Australia's incumbent keeper was racing the clock to improve his game.

"He's set the benchmark, we all know what his standards are," Healy said. "We shouldn't be adjusting our standards to cope with a player that might be ageing. He's got to get back to his standards and he knows that. He's good enough to maintain and get back to those standards . . . but he's got to do it quickly."

Gilchrist has dropped four catches and missed two stumping chances in the four Tests against India. By far his worst outing was in Sydney, where he grassed three chances at a combined cost of 101 runs, while also sparing Rahul Dravid with a cumbersome stumping attempt.

Gilchrist's performance behind the stumps improved noticeably in the match in Perth - keeping his body down, rather than rising with the ball - and his early efforts in Adelaide were similarly promising until he dropped a slow, hip-high edge off V.V.S. Laxman midway through the first day. That prompted a wave of discussion regarding his form and long-term future in the team, overshadowing his eclipsing of Boucher for wicketkeeping dismissals in Test cricket.

"With my keeping, I've always had to maintain the highest standards and if I didn't, people pounce on it very quickly," he said. "I'm not sure if that's because of my batting; people suggesting I'm just a batsman and a backstop. I've used that as incentive to help motivate and feel like I've maintained a high standard.

"In a nutshell, it comes down to concentration, and if you're switched on for every ball."

He said that on dropping a catch or failing to effect a stumping, when asking himself whether "I was fully focused on every delivery and concentrating 100%, it's very rare I've been able to say yes". "I've normally had something on my mind and wandered off".

Though much of the focus was on Gilchrist's form with the gloves yesterday, he was hardly Australia's only culprit in the field. The Australians have grassed a combined 16 catches in the series at a collective cost of 350 runs, including seven in the first innings in Adelaide. Add two missed stumpings and two "non-wickets" to front-foot no-balls, and it emerges that the home side has been more than a gracious host to the Indian batsmen over the past month.

Much has been said about the impact Shane Warne's retirement would have on Australia's spin-bowling stocks, but little about its effect on Australia's fielding. On the surface, it would seem Warne's presence in Australia's slips has been sorely missed this summer, with seven catches dropped in the cordon and two at gully against India.

Statistically, Michael Clarke has been the worst offender, but the usually reliable Matthew Hayden and Andrew Symonds also have erred at critical periods of the series. What the problem has been is not immediately obvious, but it has contributed to much heartbreak for Australia's bowlers on wickets that generally have done them few favours.

Gilchrist, meanwhile, refused to speculate further on his long-term playing future, having addressed the issue several times throughout the summer. The Australian vice-captain has hinted previously that a retirement from one-day cricket may be imminent, but yesterday said he would not speak on the issue until there had been a development.

"I'll let people know when I'm going to retire, whether it's tomorrow or in 12 months," he said. "At the moment, I'm going to keep focusing on giving everything I've got to this team."

© 2008 The Age

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