5 Heartfelt Moments in Cricket history

5. The act that defined of the spirit of cricket:

There have been incidents of great sportsmanship shown by players; when they choose to walk off despite being given not out by the umpire. By captains; when they have called back a batsman who has been wrongly given out by the umpire. There is one such incident though which stands out purely on the basis of the magnitude of the match; Australian wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist did the unthinkable in 2003 World Cup Semi Final against Sri Lanka.

In the sixth over of the match, Adam Gilchrist tried to sweep Aravinda de Silva’s second ball but got an edge. The ball flew off his pads and was caught by the wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara. Umpire Rudi Koertzen of South Africa 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. The act, universally hailed by one and all, serves as a classic example of the true Spirit of Cricket.

“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,” were the views of Wisden.