When Adam Gilchrist trudged off the WACA with a duck to his name in December 2006, he decided enough was enough.
It was then and there Gilchrist made up his mind to quit after the 2006/07 Ashes.
“The game had worn me down and I didn’t want to go on,” Gilchrist recalls.
So the star wicketkeeper returned home to tell his wife the news.
Her reaction wasn’t quite what he expected, and it made him change his mind.
“She figuratively smacked me around the head a few times and told me to stop whinging about a duck,” Gilchrist says with a laugh.
“It was a good chat. It smacked a bit of sense into me, and I managed to score a hundred in the next innings.”
That hundred just so happened to be the second fastest century in Test cricket.
Gilchrist’s 57-ball ton put England to the sword in 42-degree heat in Perth.
But Gilchrist revealed his blazing attitude that day only came about through a miscommunication.
“I felt we needed to press on and potentially declare that night – to have a crack at the English just prior to stumps,” Gilchrist says.
“Clarkey and I asked for a signal from Punter – a thumb’s up or a thumb’s down.
“A thumb’s up meant we should go for it, and a thumb’s down meant we should bat sensibly until stumps.
“We were certain we saw a thumb’s up.
“But as I came running into the change rooms after we declared, he said, “What the hell was that all about?”
“Apparently it was a thumb’s down. But he was happy to go for the ride, and the end result was good.”
Lady Luck was also on Gilchrist’s side that day.
“I should have been out for a pair,” Gilchrist says.
“Andrew Flintoff unsurprisingly came on to bowl when I came out to bat.
“My first scoring shot was a flashy push outside off stump and the ball flew through the gully region, where no one was standing.
“So I was lucky to get off the mark. It’s a fine line sometimes.”
Instead of hanging up the gloves after Australia’s 5-0 Ashes rout of England in 2006/07, Gilchrist played on for another year before retiring from international cricket.
Gilchrist was inducted into the ICC’s Cricket Hall of Fame last week, with the 42-year-old joining an illustrious list that includes former teammates Steve Waugh, Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne.
The hard-hitting batsman experienced a host of highs during his decorated career.
But one of his most painful moments was being part of the side that surrendered the Ashes 2-1 on enemy territory in 2005.
“I remember when we retained the Ashes in 11 days in 2002. It was four days in Brisbane, four days in Adelaide, and a three-day Test match in Perth,” Gilchrist said.
“And I also remember Steve Waugh saying: ‘It’s fantastic to have retained the Ashes, but gee, it would have been good if there was a bit more resistance’.
“I’ll never forget those words, particularly as I stood on The Oval balcony watching England celebrate in 2005.
“It taught me a great lesson about not tempting fate, not taking anything for granted and never, ever disrespecting the game.”
Australia lead the current Ashes series 3-0, and will be aiming to repeat the feat of the powerful 2006/07 Test team by completing a 5-0 rout.
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