rapa
04-30-2007, 10:45 AM
Every one was curious what was Gilchrist signaling to the dressing room, (pointing to his left batting glove) shortly after he reached the century.
Frankly I thought at the first instance, he's giving a "green light" to rest of the batting order about the pitch :-)
Then a TV commentator quickly said "He's signaling here. He's signaling to some one at the media box". Then I thought, he was making a point to some commentator who made a bad comment of his form in this world cup.
So what was actually Gilchrist signaling to the media box? Why he was pointing to his batting gloves?
Gilchrist's batting coach Bob Meuleman revealed the whole story next morning.
Meuleman, who played 14 Sheffield Shield matches between 1968 and 1972, said he had convinced Gilchrist to take the unusual step of putting a squash ball inside his glove while he batted, to help to improve his very high grip on the bat.
http://bp2.blogger.com/_VFnTUjTu4T0/RjVn_gSB_5I/AAAAAAAAAHM/gRowVw-x7mc/s320/Gilly.jpg (http://bp2.blogger.com/_VFnTUjTu4T0/RjVn_gSB_5I/AAAAAAAAAHM/gRowVw-x7mc/s1600-h/Gilly.jpg)
"It is to stop his bat turning in his hand," Meuleman said from Perth last night.
"I've worked with him for 10 years, and he has an unusual grip in which his hand goes too far around the back of the bat.
"It is a great big lump in your glove, but it means that you can only use your bottom hand in a V.
"It is hard to get around the back of the bat with it which means he improves his grip.
"I went to the squash centre before he went off and got him six squash balls that were a bit broken and were not as hard as a new ball. You don't want it to crush right down but to be a bit flexible.
"He had a few hits before he went off to the World Cup; he didn't have the squash ball in and he hit them like he couldn't even play fourth grade.
"He put it in and he then hit the ball so good."
So delighted was Gilchrist at helping to spear Australia to victory against Sri Lanka yesterday that, he turned to the television commentary booth at Kensington Oval and pointed to his glove upon reaching his maiden World Cup ton.
He wanted to make a point to his batting coach that, "The Squash ball worked!"
Well played Gilly. You destroyed our hopes. But yet it was a great innings to watch for cricket lovers (other than Sri Lankan supporters)
Frankly I thought at the first instance, he's giving a "green light" to rest of the batting order about the pitch :-)
Then a TV commentator quickly said "He's signaling here. He's signaling to some one at the media box". Then I thought, he was making a point to some commentator who made a bad comment of his form in this world cup.
So what was actually Gilchrist signaling to the media box? Why he was pointing to his batting gloves?
Gilchrist's batting coach Bob Meuleman revealed the whole story next morning.
Meuleman, who played 14 Sheffield Shield matches between 1968 and 1972, said he had convinced Gilchrist to take the unusual step of putting a squash ball inside his glove while he batted, to help to improve his very high grip on the bat.
http://bp2.blogger.com/_VFnTUjTu4T0/RjVn_gSB_5I/AAAAAAAAAHM/gRowVw-x7mc/s320/Gilly.jpg (http://bp2.blogger.com/_VFnTUjTu4T0/RjVn_gSB_5I/AAAAAAAAAHM/gRowVw-x7mc/s1600-h/Gilly.jpg)
"It is to stop his bat turning in his hand," Meuleman said from Perth last night.
"I've worked with him for 10 years, and he has an unusual grip in which his hand goes too far around the back of the bat.
"It is a great big lump in your glove, but it means that you can only use your bottom hand in a V.
"It is hard to get around the back of the bat with it which means he improves his grip.
"I went to the squash centre before he went off and got him six squash balls that were a bit broken and were not as hard as a new ball. You don't want it to crush right down but to be a bit flexible.
"He had a few hits before he went off to the World Cup; he didn't have the squash ball in and he hit them like he couldn't even play fourth grade.
"He put it in and he then hit the ball so good."
So delighted was Gilchrist at helping to spear Australia to victory against Sri Lanka yesterday that, he turned to the television commentary booth at Kensington Oval and pointed to his glove upon reaching his maiden World Cup ton.
He wanted to make a point to his batting coach that, "The Squash ball worked!"
Well played Gilly. You destroyed our hopes. But yet it was a great innings to watch for cricket lovers (other than Sri Lankan supporters)