The Fantastico Duo of Aussie's who I grew up adoring! - Part II

The Fantastico Duo of Aussie's who I grew up adoring! - Part II

In this part two of 'The Fantastico Trio of Aussie's who I grew up adoring!' I will enlist two players who are known for their swashbuckling style of play and players who re-defined the way that cricket was played before them.

Adam Gilchrist

He practically redefined the way the wicket-keepers were perceived up until then. He had an aggressive style of batting and provided Australia with a strong finish in Tests while providing them with blazing starts in ODI cricket.

He kept things simple, and believed in 'Seeing the Ball and Hitting the Ball' philosophy. Playing straight was his thing and a still head and quick hands provided the power. He was also a very likable guy off the field and walked when he believed that he was out. He famously walked in the Semi Finals of the 2003 World Cup match even though the umpire had given him not out. He played several high impact innings for the Australians helping them steam roll the opposition but for me the best innings that he played was his audacious 149 off just 104 balls in the Final of the 2007 World Cup after being out of form during the whole tournament.

His strike rate of over 80 in test cricket and over 96 in ODI ranks amongst the very best and the fact that he hit 100 sixes in the longest format just presses his case further as one of the most attacking batsman to have ever played the game. He was a thorough all-rounder as he was beyond excellence in two skills of the game and his impact on young kids wanting to take up cricket as a career is quite large.

Michael Slater

Long before Virender Sehwag or David Warner started the slam bang batting right at the top of the order in the longest form of the game, there existed a batsman named Michael Slater. The Aussie opener loved to bash the bowlers and watching him go after the bowlers was an entertaining sight. His rasping cuts and dismissive pull shots off the front foot were a trademark and he also had the unique habit of kissing his helmet upon reaching three figures. He was also a very nervous wreck in the 90's and was dismissed a record 9 times between 90 and 100.

You would imagine that he would become very successful in ODI cricket but he had a very modest career playing just 42 ODI's and scoring less than 1000 runs at an average of just 24. He was also known for sledging and often crossed the line. The lowest point came when he finger pointed fingers at the umpire and Rahul Dravid during a test match in India when the umpire disallowed a catch something that Slater did not agree with. He now works as a commentator with Channel 9 and provides his insights on the game.

My Favorite Players - Michael Slater

Michael Slater - Australia

Michael Slater is often remembered for his heated confrontation that he had with Rahul Dravid and Srinivas Venkatraghavan, after a catch he claimed was disallowed. Finger wagging, angry gesticulations and foul language followed and cricket fans all around the world watched in awe at the raging bull that was Michael Slater. The venue was Mumbai, the year 2001. The incident, sadly, marked the start of the fall of one of the most exciting opening batsman world cricket had seen and who is one of my All Time Favorite Players.

Michael Slater in a heated argument with Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid

image courtesy espncricinfo

For me though, Slater meant pure fun and watching him bat was extremely exciting but highly nerve wrecking at the same time. I remember those Ashes series in Australia when I would wake up at 4.30 am and watch him pummel the hapless Pommies. Flashy cover drives, crisp front foot pull shots and crackling square cuts defined him. He would just go after the bowling from ball one without any fear whatsoever. He would take the shine off the new ball not by leaving balls outside the off stump safely to the keeper but by bashing it as hard as he could!!

Michael Slater started his test career in 1993 and played until 2001 wherein he represented Australia in 74 test matches and made over 5000 runs at an average of shade under 43. Everyone who saw him play test match cricket would often comment 'Slater is born to play ODI cricket', but for some strange reason he never excelled in the shorter format of the game. He only played 42 ODI's in which he could not even notch up a 1000 runs. His average was a lowly 24 while he could not chalk up a single ton in limited overs cricket. Speaking of tons, Slater was a bundle of nervous energy in the nervous 90's. He would became fidgety and was out 9 times in the 90's in his short career. He made 14 tons in test cricket.

Today Michael is a successful commentator at Channel Nine.

Michael Slater re-defined the way that openers were supposed to play Test Match Cricket. His swashbuckling style made him vulnerable to failures but he would, more often then not, set Australia racing off to a big score and immediately put the opposition on the back foot.

I loved him for his fearless shot making, for his never-say-die attitude and for the swagger with which he would walk out to open the innings.

PS - To Read Other Posts From The Segment My Favorite Players, Click On The Following Link - My Favorite Players