‘Pure class’: Adam Gilchrist slams Ashes villain without even saying his name

Australian cricket legend Adam Gilchrist has heaped praise on an English star, while burying an Ashes villain in the same breath.

Australian cricket legend Adam Gilchrist really knows what he’s doing.

Australia’s greatest ever wicketkeeper-batsman has transitioned into the commentary booth as seamlessly as he used to blow opposition attacks apart with the bat but as per usual, Gilchrist has shown he’s working on an entirely different level.

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The Aussie legend has enjoyed needling the old enemy recently, sharing a pic on Instagram of him in a T-shirt that said “Moral victory” with the word “Moral” crossed out.

It comes despite Australia retaining last year’s Ashes after a 2-all draw, but England claiming to have won a “moral victory”, which Aussies have taken glee at making fun of.

Gilly is a star behind the mic. Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

One of the biggest issues that came out of the Ashes was the stumping of Jonny Bairstow, who inexplicably wandered out of his crease before calling for the Aussies to withdraw their appeal.

But while that incident thrust Bairstow into the spotlight, if not for that, there would have been increased focus on his wicketkeeping.

Bairstow dropped a heap of chances across the series, with plenty of questions being asked about how Ben Foakes didn’t take the gloves as the superior gloveman.

Bairstow does have the better record with the bat, having scored 12 Test centuries and 5902 runs at 36.88 in his 97 Test career, while Foakes has 1014 runs at 30.72 and two tons in 22 matches.

Bairstow’s strike rate is also 10 runs per hundred balls better than Foakes, which makes him a more attractive prospect in the Bazball era.

Both men are currently playing for England in the series in India, but it’s Foakes who has been handed the gloves.

India is often seen as the true test of a gloveman and Gilchrist had nothing but praise for Foakes’ work behind the stumps.

“I’m going to double down and say Ben Foakes is the best wicketkeeper to spin bowling in particular that I’ve ever seen,” Gilchrist said on his Club Prairie Fire podcast.

“And again, I haven’t seen enough of him standing back to the stumps because, for some reason, they don’t want to play him if there’s not going to be a lot of spin.

“What he did in that second Test match was quite beyond belief. The catches he was taking, under edges off spin bowlers, he’s absolute pure class.”

Another great catch from Ben Foakes. Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images

Bairstow isn’t quite as smooth. Photo by Geoff Caddick / AFP

Foakes took two tough chances with significant deviations up to the stumps in the second Test.

Then, without even saying Bairstow’s name, Gilchrist buried the Ashes villain.

“It shouldn’t be but it’s amazing how hard you can make it look if you’re not quite as skilful as someone like Foakes,” Gilchrist added.

“That is the hardest catch I would have thought. You’re meant to be rising with the ball and then all of a sudden you’re going back down. But his hands are just butter.”

We smell what you’re cooking Gilly!

Foakes did it again in the third Test, taking a sharp catch off Rehan Ahmed, when Dhruv Chand Jurel cut it hard into Foakes’ gloves.

While they seem easy, they’re really tough after taking a sharp deviation while the keeper is close to the stumps.

England have long trumpeted Bazball as the saviour of Test cricket but the Ashes may well have shown you have to do the basics right to win at the top level — and catches win matches.

Maybe if they learn that, then they might claim actual victories, not just moral ones.