Whatever happened to Gilly? Without doubt, one of the most exciting cricketers of the generation has been Adam Gilchrist. Every innings of substance that he's played has been a highlight. He's been a match-winner - a devastating batsman, a good leader (conquered the Australian "last frontier" in India), a very fair though opinionated cricketer and, compared to his team mates, has a good reputation off the field.

But recently, something has gone wrong with his batting - since the England Ashes tour, runs have been very hard to come by, with only one innings of note in the Test arena against a very un-motivated World XI. Most columnists point out that Andrew Flintoff's around the wicket line has done him in and exposed a chink in his armor, something which every team is trying to exploit.

I don't agree that after playing 70 tests, with a stupendous record of bowlers-career-wrecking, someone suddenly thought - 'Oh, wait a minute, maybe no one thought of bowling out-swingers to Gilchrist around the wicket!!' and tasted success. Atleast I hope that is not the case, or Flintoff can, maybe, claim his first major casualty in the art that Gilchrist has mastered ever since he made his debut. I think (and hope) that this is just a temporary loss of form, though that is precisely what all his cricketing rivals fear.  ¶ 1:38 PM