Gilchrist walks in the semi-final
The Australia opener walked back to the pavilion despite being given not out by the on-field umpire
Australians, so the myth goes, walk only after they are out of petrol. So when 2003 World Cup semi-final against Sri Lanka, his actions, naturally, were heavily debated.
Opening the batting with Matthew Hayden, Gilchrist was looking to give Australia an explosive opening start and had smacked Pulasthi Gunaratne for 11 runs in his first over. With Australia 34 for 0 at the end of five overs, Sanath Jayasuriya, the Sri Lanka captain, brought Aravinda de Silva into the attack.
Gilchrist tried to sweep de Silva's second ball but got an edge. The ball flew off his pads and was caught by Kumar Sangakkara. Umpire Rudi Koertzen ignored the Sri Lankans' appeals, ruling that the ball had only hit the pad before popping up. Gilchrist waited to hear the verdict and then turned and walked back to the pavilion.
It was an astonishing moment, partly because it was an Australian, partly because it was such an important game, and partly because the nature of that type of dismissal is rarely clear-cut.
Australia lost Ricky Ponting in the next over and Hayden soon after, but Andrew Symonds' unbeaten 91 took them to 212. Ultimately Gilchrist's decision to walk had no bearing on the result. Sri Lanka struggled against Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee, and when rain forced the players from the field with Sri Lanka on 123 for 7 after 38.1 overs, they were short of the Duckworth-Lewis target. Australia went on to win their fourth World Cup title after a one-sided final against India.
The result didn't prevent Gilchrist's decision from being dissected minutely. "This was Gilchrist's match, not for what he did with bat or gloves but for his decision to walk, which astonished everyone unused to such Australian magnanimity," said Wisden. A few perceived it to be a sign of a more enlightened, free-spirited approach in the post-Waugh era, while others dissented. Some, like Angus Fraser, objected to him being canonised simply for not cheating. Others thought he had walked almost by accident - that having played his shot he overbalanced in the direction of the pavilion and simply carried on going. These were harsh judgements for an act that ought to have been held as an example for all cricketers.