Cricket: Gilchrist's demolition job leaves NZ numb

This was supposed to be another story about the explosive striking power of Australia's latter-day legend, Adam Gilchrist.

There was much talk about how best to present his eye-popping effort at the Basin yesterday, when he flayed an impressive 162, and no small amount of debate about where the innings stood in terms of his blossoming, 67-test career.

Should we highlight his five sixes or his career tally of 79, should we draw comparisons with his rollicking 204 against South Africa in 2001-02, or should we detail his 15 centuries since taking over the test duties from Ian Healy in 1999-2000?

But, after careful consideration, it was decided that everyone had already heard everything there is to know about Big Ears, and that another attempt to describe his capabilities with the bat, complete with all appropriate adjectives, would be risking overkill.

Yes, we know this was a special innings, peppered with 22 fours and five sixes, some of which came from test cricket's devine book of stroke-making. Ho Hum.

So what if Daniel Vettori beat him in flight on a couple of occasions, only to be deposited among the bleachers; so what if he completely savaged the fast medium of Chris Martin and James Franklin? He also did that in Christchurch.

The straight hitting, the late cutting, the on-driving, the flick off his pads for six? We saw it all at Brisbane last year when he smashed 126, taking the game away from New Zealand with a partnership of 216 with Michael Clarke.

The hook? The slog-sweep? Just like the Gabba in 2001, when he destroyed New Zealand's halfway decent position with a counter-attacking 118, breathing life back into Australia's innings after a cluster of middle-order failures.

We could have brought you all the oohs and aahs from the punch-drunk New Zealanders, who were reduced to mere bystanders as Gilchrist posted his 50 off 56 balls, his 100 off 84, and went to 150 off just 136, eventually perishing off the 146th.

But why bother? Stephen Fleming and John Bracewell used up all their best superlatives after last week's demolition job, when he turned the match with 121 off 126 balls. Doubtless there will be more talk of this Bradmanesque figure, who needs only five more sixes to equal the mark set by Viv Richards, and another three to match the world record of 87 set last year by the now-retired Chris Cairns.

But, as you've heard it all before, we'll spare you the details.