Although the finals of the 2007 World Cup at Bridgetown was a good cricket game, a controversy regarding Adam Gilchrist‘s tactics emerged on that day. For that game, Gilchrist used Squash balls inside his gloves, which many feel is against the law of the game.
Gilchrist waved after scoring a century
As we all know, the final of the 2007 World Cup was a game that belonged entirely to Adam Gilchrist and Australia. Batting first in the rain-marred encounter, the Aussies made 281 runs in 38 overs.
It was Gilly who was in peak form that day. He struck 149 runs in 104 balls, a knock that included 13 boundaries and eight sixes. The opener destroyed Sri Lanka‘s bowling attack and never allowed them to settle. Gilly was named the Man of the Match for his outstanding performance.
How did viewers know that Gilchrist used Squash balls?
As soon as he reached his hundred, Gilchrist celebrated much to the appreciation of his teammates. However, Gilly also waved his hand and pointed it towards the TV cameras. Hence, the focus fell on the player’s gloves. Gilchrist’s wave was apparently directed to his batting coach in Perth.
Why did he use the squash balls?
Gilchrist used the squash balls for a simple reason to improve the grip on his bat. The small elastic ball would act as a lump and would stop the bat from turning into the hand while making shots. Hence, his bottom hand would refrain from moving too far around the grip.
This was a tactic which Gilly had been using for a very long time. After consulting with his teammates, he took the call of employing it for the all-important encounter. Although Lankans felt it was against the law of the game, it eventually went down that there was no evidence which proved Gilchrist used an unfair practice.
