Gilchrist the best ever but Sangakkara is pretty special too

Profiles / Paul Moon / 29 October 2007 / Leave a Comment

Pablo Luna - Moonlighting for Betfair. Pablo looks at the wicket-keeping and batting talents of Gilchrist and Sangakkara

Adam Craig Gilchrist (14 November 1971) was born in Bellingen, New South Wales, Australia. This tall flap-eared country boy is not one of the most elegant wicketkeepers you will see behind the stumps and he is not considered a great. Conversely, as a wicketkeeper/batsman, he is the greatest in the history of the game!

His glovework is very high quality and this has been demonstrated by the way he has kept to Shane Warne over the years. He is equally effective when keeping to fast bowlers and throughout his career I cannot remember any huge dips in form with the gloves.

He is an emotional man representing the dynamic and symbolic heart of the Australian team. He has often landed himself in trouble and been fined many times for dissent regarding umpiring decisions. That said, he is one of the very few 'walkers' in the game and no matter the significance of the game, if he feels he is out he will walk off the field of play without waiting for the umpire to adjudicate.

Throughout most of his career he has been vice captain to great players like Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting and has taken over on many occasions showing astute leadership and communication skills. It is not a job he covets and cites tiredness when doing too many jobs within the team. (It is always a massive mistake to make a bowler or a wicketkeeper captain).

His batting statistics makes spectacular reading, his 90 Test Matches have a batting average of 48.66 and is the 45th best of all time. Maintaining a Test Match strike rate of 82 per hundred balls is even more astonishing. Also, unlike the Jacques Kallis's of this world, he plays for the team, not his average, and don't forget he bats number 6 or 7 in a great Australian team meaning he does not have time to bed himself down first.

The forthcoming Test Series of Australia versus Sri Lanka starts on 8 November at the Gabba, Brisbane. It will be fascinating for many reasons but it will give Kumar Sangakkara a chance to contrast himself against the great man. The match will also show the Aussies missing their two great bowlers Shane Warne and Glen McGrath, now retired.

With Betfair, I note that the Australians are currently favourites at 1.46, Sri Lanka at 8.2 and the draw is available at 4. I am backing Australia at these prices as I cannot see any other result!

Kumar Sangakkara (27 October 1977) was born in Matale, Sri Lanka. Batting at number three, he learnt to become a wicket keeper and since has become a specialist in that position.

Ragged at first, he has now developed into a top class gloveman with no peers. Now considered one of the most influential cricketers in Sri Lanka, this charismatic cricketer is regarded as a sharp-eyed strategist (training to be a lawyer) and has a big say in team affairs. Like Gilchrist, he has done remarkably well in keeping to spin (particularly to the wizardry of Muralitharan).

He does have a propensity to engage in verbal sledging with opponents and is of a tough 'Australian like' character. His approach is naturally aggressive and his greatest weakness is a capacity to over-react when the adrenaline really starts to pump but when he bats he has high levels of concentration and this is evident when he scores big hundreds.

His 67 Test Matches show a (exaggerated) batting average of 54.37 although extraordinary until you notice how much damage he has done to less significant sides. In 2007, he joined the elite club of Test Batsmen who have scored five or more double centuries. Smashing unbeaten consecutive scores of 200 and 222 in the 2nd and 3rd Tests against - Bangladesh! Despite this, his batting average is still a verification of the highest achievement considering the dual responsibility of batting at No.3 and keeping wicket!

I feel privileged to have watched both cricketers and I think it is accurate to say that Gilchrist and Sangakkara are indisputably the best two wicketkeeper/batsmen of our time but preference is for the former - simply the best, ever!

To view more stats about Adam Gilchrist and Sangakkara go to:

www.cricinfo.com