One of the best wicket-keeper the cricketing world has ever seen, Adam Gilchrist has kept some of the fastest pace-bowlers to play the game.
However, recently the legendary wicket-keeper has singled out the quickest spell he had faced behind the stumps, and it was his teammate Shaun Tait.
Shaun Tait, who didn’t have a long international career due to injuries bowled with raw pace. He clocked 161.1 km/hr in an ODI game against England, which is also the second fastest ball in cricketing history.
On reflecting upon the fastest spell, Gilchrist pointed out the one by Tait in a one-off T20 match against New Zealand, ten years back. Back then, T20 games were still in its infancy and didn’t have the popularity as of Test matches and ODI cricket.
It was a single game leading to fifty-over bilateral series in 2007. The Kiwis were two down from Brett Lee within the sixth over and were breathing a sigh of relief after successfully negotiating Mitchell Johnson, but adding to their worries that ball was given to South Australian speedster, who was making his T20I debut.
“Taity’ bowling at the WACA down-breeze, evening. T20. Knowing he’s only got four overs max to bowl,” Gilchrist recalls.
Explaining the over in detail, Gilchrist said that the first ball was dug in with Jamie How gloving the ball while attempting a pull shot forcing him to go full stretch and completing the catch in rebound. Ross Taylor too was beaten by pace, as the ball rattled his stumps three balls later.
Tait finished his spell with two for 22 runs in his quota of four overs, but by then he had sent a message to the world cricket by his pointed yorkers and bouncers.
“That was probably the fastest spell of bowling that I’ve kept to. Keeping to ‘Taity’ that day reminded me of the joy of keeping. Standing so far back and just the fun. Wondering what’s coming, where it’s going. Diving around and having a laugh while you’re doing it,” the former Aussie cricketer was heard saying.
However, his efforts got shortly overshadowed by a remark from the Blackcap skipper Daniel Vettori questioning the legality of his action that generated such raw pace. Tait had to undergo an ICC testing and later said the talk over his bowling action was a disgrace. Meanwhile, he returned to Australia’s Test team that summer but ruled himself out citing mental and physical exhaustion.
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