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It wasn't long ago that Adam Gilchrist's
international career seemed in the doldrums. A run
drought in the Ashes series was followed by some
consistently low scores and it was clear that
non-stop international cricket was having an
adverse effect on the Aussie, who also shoulders
the added responsibilities of wicketkeeper and
vice-captain. It was about time he took a
well-deserved break from the game. Though only a
short one, it definitely paid rich dividends.
And what a comeback he has made! Two hundreds and a
fifty in the last seven innings mean that the
swashbuckler is undoubtedly back in his element.
The Lankans, unfortunately, were at the receiving
end at Brisbane. After failing in the crucial
second final at Sydney, Gilchrist came good when
there was everything to play for both the teams.
Sri Lanka had set what seemed a challenging target
of 267 for the World Champions. Their charge was
led by Mahela Jayawardene, who produced a superb 86
and a good supporting role played by 'keeper
batsmen Sangakkara. Further, a smart knock of 76
from Russel Arnold helped the underdogs get past
the 260-mark.
But Australia maintained their high fielding
standards throughout, which resulted in keeping the
target to challenging levels instead of tough ones.
Ponting led from the front, taking a stunning
one-handed catch to get rid of Arnold, who did a
great job scoring at better than a run-a-ball. It
was that man Symonds, who once again stood out,
picking up three catches. An all-rounder in the
true sense, Symonds has contributed in each and
every department of the game in the series, and was
deservedly rewarded with the Man of the Series
award.
However, the third final undoubtedly belonged to
Adam Gilchrist. The Lankans had no clue how to stop
the Gilchrist onslaught, as the Aussie sensation
went about his demolition job in his typical
manner. There were cuts, pulls, drives,
you-name-it. He brought up his fifty off a mere 38
balls, while his century came in only 67
deliveries.
With four sixes and 13 boundaries, his innings
completely incapacitated the Sri Lankans.
Muralitharan, whose had a rather forgettable
series, brought down the curtains on Gilchrist's
innings, but not before the latter had reached 122.
When Gilchrist scores a century, more often than
not all other big innings are overshadowed. And
this time, it was the knock of Simon Katich that
met with the same fate. Katich scored an unbeaten
ton, his first one in ODIs. But without doubt, it
was Gilchrist's day out.
Whatever he did during the break, it has really
worked wonders. And Gilchrist seems ready to give
bowlers all round the world nightmares all over
again.
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