What Would Gilly Do?
The text of my speech at the 2019 East Bay Youth Cricket Association Awards night - What Would Gilly Do? (I made the kids shout this a couple of times) Gilly is Adam Gilchrist. Former Australian captain, wicketkeeper an all-time legend. Many aspects of his career would help our young players understand the mental side of the game.
Let's take a look at this scorecard of the first game of the 2002 Australia-South Africa test series in Johannesburg. To me, this scorecard epitomises the dominance that this Australian team had in the period. http://www.espncricinfo.com/…/south-africa-vs-australia-1st…
Mathew Hayden and Justin Langer at the top gave their team century openings on demand. Ricky Ponting, an aggressive no.3, was also a spectacular fielder and a captain in his own right. Mark Waugh is probably the most elegant Australian player and was a dependable slip fielder. His twin and captain, Steve Waugh, of steely stares and ice in his veins gave the team the steering it needed. Damien Martyn at no.6, was like a second Mark Waugh, adept at playing with the tail. The bowlers - the metronomic McGrath, the raw pace of Bret Lee, the untiring Gillespie and the wizardry of Shane Warne - never required a regular fifth bowler. Tying them all up as an explosive no.7 and an excellent keeper was Gilly.
Let's come back to this scorecard.
Instead, let's go to his debut one day game, in Faridabad against the same opposition, South Africa. Stranger in a strange land, he went in to bat at no.7. Spinners were bowling, and he went with his cap. Alan Donald came on to bowl and Gilly, with all his naivete, was shy to ask his senior teammates to fetch him a helmet. Donald shouted at him, "Where is the respect?" and got his wicket at the end of a fiery spell of fast bowling.
What Would Gilly Do? (Some kids repeated with me) He treated it as trial by fire and was better prepared and less awe-struck from the next game. He improved.
He grew up in New South Wales and moved to Western Australia. There he was replacing the longtime wicketkeeper and crowd favourite Tim Zoherer. Gilly was unwelcome in the dressing room and got booed by the tough loyal West Australian crowd.
What Would Gilly Do? (A few more kids shouted with me)
He won them over, one player at a time, one game at a time, learning and translating into good performances, leading up to the championship trophy for the state. He became one of their own.
Let's go to his debut match against Pakistan in Melbourne in 1999. There were two debutants in that game. One was Gilly, the other, any guesses? I'd be surprised if you remembered who he was. Again, let's save that for later. Here too, he was replacing Ian Healy, a legend in his own right. The scale of booing only got bigger. Critics didn't give him a chance.
What Would Gilly Do? (The kids' table shouted in unison)
A skilful 80 on debut, followed by a match-winning hundred in the second game, was the beginning of a remarkable start to his test career where he didn't taste defeat for 15 tests. He soon became the glue of the team.
He substituted as Captain for an injured Steve Waugh during the 2001 Ashes. On his first day as skipper, an unreliable Slater reported late for practice. When Gilly called him up, Slater had a meltdown, and the heated exchange made it to the papers.
What Would Gilly Do? (A few parents also joined in)
Gilly had his first child at this time. It was a difficult birth, and young Harry had some complications. Gilly found it hard to leave his wife and newborn, but he had to go to that South Africa tour. He was a professional, and he made the trip. Meanwhile, silly rumours were circulating that Slater was the birth father of the child. In that Johannesburg game, which I mentioned earlier, Australia batted first and were 200 odd for five, when Gilly walked in to join Martyn. Two idiots in the crowd had a banner that read 'Who's the father of Gilly's baby? Slater! Slater! Slater!'. He couldn't miss it, and even if he did, the partisan crowd was chanting 'Slater! Slater' as he walked to the middle.
What Would Gilly Do? (silence)
He broke the 20-year-old record for the fastest double hundred. That's what the mentally strong Gilly did. Australia went on to beat a very strong South Africa by an innings in their own backyard.
Now for that other debutant in that 1999 game against Pakistan. Anyone, remember Scott Muller. A blond haired fast bowler, hand picked by the coach, he had everything going for him. He had a decent first game, but in the second game, his bowling got erratic, and at one point he threw from the boundary to the middle of the pitch. The tv mics picked someone saying "Can't bowl, can't throw". He came to know about this and completely lost it. When it was rumoured to be Shane Warne behind those words, he had a public fight with him despite Warne denying it all. Muller got dropped from the squad after that game which was, in fact, his last game of cricket. The person who was booed by the crowd, through his mental strength, overcame it and the one who was expected to have a great career, lost everything by focusing on the wrong things.
When you are playing, you are out in the middle, and things are not going your way - there will be many voices in your head: a. What would my dad say on the ride home? b. Have I let down my mother? c. What can I say to my siblings and teammates? You will be tempted to throw a tantrum. I want you to listen to your own voice which would hopefully say,
"What Would Gilly Do?"
