Gilchrist bows out of IPL, expresses interest in coaching Kings XI http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Punjab-c833 – Cricket News Update
After leading the Kings XI Punjab in the ongoing 5th season of the Indian Premier League, skipper http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Adam-Gilchrist-c918 has admitted that he may well have played his last cricket match, and is interested in staying on with the IPL franchise in a coaching
position.
The Aussie batsman has been shouldering the dual responsibility as captain and coach/mentor with the franchise this season, and admitted that he preferred the latter.
“I would say I've played my last game of cricket just there,” he said after his team’s last IPL5 match against the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Himachal-Pradesh-c791 Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala on May 19, which they lost by 6 wickets.
“I'll go away and have a think about it and talk to the franchise. If the franchise is still keen to keep me involved as coach, which is a role I've really enjoyed, I find that I still enjoy being around the group.”
The 40-year-old, who retired from international cricket in 2008, took over the captaincy of the Kings XI in 2011, after original skipper http://www.senore.com/Cricket/KC-Sangakkara-c1779 left to join the Deccan Chargers (a team which Gilchrist had captained to the IPL 2009 title).
The Kings XI finished at number 5 in the 2011 season of the tournament, and have dropped a spot lower in the current season, having won only 8 of the 16 matches they have played.
Gilchrist has played 67 IPL games, during which he has amassed 1775 (including two 100s and 10 half-centuries) runs at 27.73 and has a strike-rate of 140.20. He was forced to sit out several matches near the end of the tournament owing to a hamstring complaint,
during which period http://www.senore.com/Cricket/DJ-Hussey-c1380 took over as captain, but the wicketkeeper batsman admitted that he had not been particularly disappointed at missing out on those matches.
“To be honest I didn't miss the cricket that much. I loved the fact that I could play the last couple of games, but I didn't have the horrible desire that I was missing out … I have to think about it but I just feel I won't be playing,” he said.
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