Adam Gilchrist has endured a tortuous route to become Australian Test wicket-keeper, but he now finds himself as one of the world's leading allrounders and a one-day specialist of immense experience.

Impatient with the limited opportunites with New South Wales, Gilchrist packed his bags and headed to Western Australia in 1994, arriving in Perth with little more than a suitcase and his pet dog Roy (Roy Gilchirst was a West Indian fast bowler of the 1950s).

Gilchrist had to overcome bitter hostililty in Western Australia when he was initially chosen in the state team at the expense of local hero and former Test wicketkeeper Tim Zoehrer. He was booed by sections of the WACA Ground crowd. But he displayed enormous character as he gradually won over the fans with his dignity and daredevil cricket.

Tall (almost 6 foot, or 1.83 metres) for a wicketkeeper and a pugnacious left-hand batsman, he made his debut in the Australian one-day international side in 1996. After a disappointing loss in the World Cup to Sri Lanka, the side adopted a policy of selecting a separate one-day side, replacing Ian Healy with Gilchrist, and shortly afterwards making Steve Waugh captain in place of Mark Taylor.

It was seven months after Waugh had become Test captain, though, that Gilchrist finally got his chance to shine in the five-day game, following the enforced retirement of Healy in November 1999. By that time he already had 76 ODI caps tohis name. Making his Test debut at Healy's home town of Brisbane he once again proved unpopular with the Gabba crowd, but responded in the best way possible, making a first innings 81 as the hosts crushed Pakistan. The second Test saw his maiden century, an unbeaten 149 in Hobart.

Behind the stumps, Gilchrist is reliable and enthusiastic, if unspectacular. With the bat, though, he is one of the game's best attacking stroke-makers and takes relish in punishing loose bowling.

Gilchrist was made Australian vice captain at the start of 2000/01 in succession to champion leg-spinner Shane Warne, stripped of the job because of a succession of indiscretions which finally forced the hand of the Australian Cricket Board.