Gilchrist voted scariest batsman

Adam Gilchrist has been voted the world's scariest batsman in an exclusive poll of international bowlers. The Wisden Cricketer magazine asked more than 20 of the world's leading bowlers to name the batsman they least like to bowl to, and the Australian Gilchrist came out on top. West Indies' Brian Lara polled the second largest number of votes, while Pakistan's Shahid Afridi came third.

Gilchrist was modest about the poll. "I guess it's an honour in a strange kind of way," he said. "But it's not something I place a great deal of emphasis on - when I bat I'm trying to perform a job for the team. It's not a personal job against individual bowlers.

The South African pace bowler Makhaya Ntini immediately nominated Gilchrist, saying, "he's just unbelievable sometimes." England's Darren Gough agreed, adding: "There's none I really fear. No-one who is going to take you apart. But Gilchrist would have to be one of the best one-day openers." Indeed he is - in 209 one-day internationals, Gilchrist has struck 6969 runs at a strike-rate of 95.