| Full Name | Adam Craig Gilchrist |
| Nick Names | Gilly, Churchy, Church, Big ears, The Demolition man |
| Profession | Professional cricketer |
| Date of Birth | 14th November 1971 |
| Birth Place | Bellingen, New South Wales, Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Height | 1.85 m |
| Playing role | Wicketkeeper, batsman |
| Major teams | Australia, ICC World XI, New South Wales, Western Australia |
| Family | Father: Stan Mother: June Sister: Jackie Brothers: Glenn & Dean Wife: Melinda (Mel) Gilchrist Sons: Harrison & Archie Daughter: Annie |
| Education | Denilliquin Primary School Dorrigo Public School, Dorrigo |
| Style | Batting : Left-hand bat Bowling : Right-arm offbreak |
| Fielding position | Wicketkeeper |
| Debut | Test : Australia v Pakistan at Brisbane, 1st Test, 1999/00 (He scored 81 runs, took five catches and one stumping) ODI : Australia v South Africa at Faridabad, Titan Cup, 1996/97 First-class : New South Wales v Tasmania at Sydney, 1992/93 |
| Retirement from Cricket | He announced his retirement from cricket on January 26, 2008 which will be effective from March 2008). |
| Succeeded by | His position is now likely to be taken by NSW’s Brad Haddin, his long-time understudy. |
| Playing style | Wicketkeeper: Behind the stumps he generally appears more comfortable keeping to faster bowlers than to spinners.
Batsman: Best for playing attacking shots, his most devastating shot is the cut, he possesses a wide variety of strokes and his penchant for powering the ball square of the wicket is accompanied by an equally adroit capacity to drive the ball fluently through the arc between mid-off and mid-on. Philosophy of batting: Just hit the ball |
| Role models | Pele, Lance Armstrong |
| Habit | Always bites his finger nails |
| Scholarship | Adam Gilchrist Cricket Development Scholarship is available to cricketers aged 20 and under in rural Australia. It provides fares, accommodation and a small allowance, as well as a tremendous opportunity to play, coach and be coached in an exciting development program. |
| Charities | Canteen, World Vision and Ronald McDonald House Charities, Through World Vision he sponsored a young boy, Mangesh, from Mumbai, India. |
| Favourites | Destinations: South-West WA and Noosa Food: ‘Penne Arrabiata’ though he is best at cooking is ‘Venison’ with fennel seed, crisp vine leaves and ‘bean cassoulet’. Heroes: Pele, Lance Armstrong |
| Best advice ever received | Never leave home without a handkerchief – from his mother |
| Sponsors | * Major sponsors are 3mobile, Castrol, Eduka, Nestle MILO, Puma, and Travelex. * Sponsors who support the Adam Gilchrist Cricket Development Scholarship are Kelly Travel and Albion Hat and Cap Co Pty Ltd. |
| Holds record | * for the most sixes hit in Test cricket (97). * to achieve 100 sixers in a test career. * the most number of wicket keeping dismissals in One-Day International cricket. * for the most dismissals in an innings in One-Day International cricket. * as a wicketkeeper for playing consecutive Tests without ever being dropped for form or injury. *holds the unique record of scoring at least 50 runs in successive World Cup finals (in 1999, 2003 and 2007). * the only wicketkeeper in Australia to have captained both the Australian Test and One Day teams. *Highest score in any World Cup Cricket Final – 149 on 28th April 2007 in West Indies. |
| Facts | * Scored over 8600 runs at a phenomenal strike rate of almost 97 runs per 100 balls. Has scored 17 Test centuries at an average of 108 balls and 15 One-Day International centuries scored at an average of 96 balls..
* Succeeds Mark Boucher in the most number of dismissals by a wicketkeeper in Test cricket. * One among the three batsman in the history of Test cricket to average over 60 through 3000 test runs. * He was a member of the Australian team that twice set world records for 16 consecutive Test wins. * Considered as the second-best wicketkeeper in his native New South Wales. * Has also captained Australia in five Tests, in the absence of Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting, with a record of three wins, one loss and one draw. * In 1989 Gilchrist was offered a scholarship by London-based Richmond Cricket Club. |
| Memorable Sixes | * In 2002 Johannesburg, when he just missed the sign for a million rand.
* Brisbane in 2002, hitting Ashley Giles for six. * In Mumbai 2002, by depositing Harbhajan Singh over the barbed wire. * Biggest six was against Ray Price, Zimbabwe in Perth in 2003 – hit roof of stand. * In 2005 at Wellington NZ, when he broke the glass window in the Members Stand. * In Perth December 2006, 3 sixers in 4 balls against Monty Panesar in Ashes. |
| Awards | * Wisden Cricketer of the Year – 2002 * One-Day International Player of the Year – 2003 * Allan Border Medal in 2003 * One-Day International Player of the Year – 2004 * Only Australian cricketer currently playing to have been named in “Richie Benaud’s Greatest XI” in 2004. * In 2004–05, was voted as “World’s Scariest Batsman” in a poll of international bowlers. |
| About Him | Creagh O’Connor : (Cricket Australia Chairman) “Adam has unquestionably been Australia’s finest ever wicketkeeper-batsman. He has been a great adornment to the game of cricket and his statistics with bat and gloves speak for themselves” Matthew Hyden : (Australian cricket player) Shaun Pollack: “He was a fantastic player and a great opponent. You didn’t feel comfortable until you got him out.” Sourav Ganguly: “A very, very dangerous player to be up against. A great person too.” Anil Kumble: “He changed the way countries would look at wicket-keepers – people only picked keepers who could bat really well. And that wasn’t just it. What really worked for Australia was Gilchrist coming in at number seven and changing the complexion of a game single-handedly.” |
| His views | About Anil Kumble : “Anil looks a very impressive leader. He was able to win a Test in a place where it’s said India could have feared of turning up. He appears to have got the team completely behind him and that’s what you ask as a leader.” About Dhoni : |
| About his retirement | “I am now ready and excited to move into the next phase of my life.” |
| Residence | Perth, Western Australia |
| Official Website | http://www.adamgilchrist.com/ |
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