Gilchrist may give up ODIs

Adam Gilchrist has told an Australian newspaper that he may give up the shorter form of the game in a bid to lengthen his Test career.

With plenty of speculation about his future, the 35 year old wicketkeeper-batsman has made no indication that he will definitely quit the format in the immediate future, but has admitted to the Sydney Morning Herald that he has been giving the option some thought.

“Up until the last 12 months, I had never been a guy to consider phasing out one form of the game and just focusing on one,” he said.

“But I am open to thinking about that now. I have been quite firm on playing both forms in the past, but I guess that things have changed a little.

“When a few of the guys started retiring last year, it made me stop and reflect on where I was at personally. And, while the appetite is still very strong to keep playing, I’ve just noticed the hunger and the drive for Test cricket that guys like Warney and Justin Langer had when they didn’t have one-day cricket to consider.

“For me, too, I am entering another phase in my life with our third child. There is a lot of cricket coming up over the next three years, so there are things to consider. That’s not to say that I am announcing right now that I am retiring from one-day cricket, but it’s just that I am more open-minded about the issue these days.”

Gilchrist has played 90 Test and 268 ODIs for Australia and has scored in both formats at a prolific rate, revolutionising the role of the wicketkeeper-batsman in modern cricket.