Shaun Tait decided to quit cricket indefinitely at the age of 24, sounds hard to believe when he should be thinking of giving sleepless nights to batsman around the world .To give credit to Tait he indeed was honest to admit that the motivation has dipped and needed time to rejuvenate. In recent years, Tait has undergone shoulder and elbow surgery as well as suffered a range of hamstring and lower back injuries which have been painful and difficult to overcome.
Constant glare from the media, pressure to perform, recurring injuries and lesser time to unwind have a telling effect on international cricketers and unfortunately more applicable in Tait’s case. Strangely enough, India which is seen as cauldron of expectation because of sheer appeal of the game has not had any victim of the too much cricket or even mental illness.
Gone are the days when an international side used to play 15 ODIs and fewer tests. The modern player doesn't play Ranji or domestic cricket. It has been replaced by an endless round of international matches, so they don't get a chance to unwind. It means players are being worked into the ground and the burden of playing non-stop cricket is taking its toll. While their can be no obvious symptoms, the performance starts to drop and then escape looks an easy option.
Moreover, the amount of cricket that is being played not only poses threat to physical and mental drainage but also runs the risk of getting bored with having too much cricket to watch. In the past players like Boycott, Trescothick, Harmison has had a taste of stress of it in varying measures
It also calls for an unoblivious attitude from the ICC. International cricket brings in million dollars and there is no way the game's administrators will stop their money-grabbing ways. Sure there are commercial interests , but the tight rope walk would have to be done if more international cricketer will have to be protected from burn out . Hence it is imperative for Cricket administrators to take a proactive step sooner than later
What remains to be seen is whether the decision to pack away his kitbag was the right one for Tait. One just gets the feeling that Tait will come more focused and much more improved cricketer post the break .

While the entire cricketing fraternity was showering rich accolades on Adam
Gilchrist, cricket lovers around the world were shocked by his decision to quit international cricket . The Adelaide Oval looked like an arena where he would run the show, that he exhibited for nearly a decade one last time.

Undoubtedly, Adam Gilchrist was the most breathtaking cricketer of his generation combining freedom to play strokes and entertainment to the public matched by very few at the highest level. Irrespective of the clothing Adam Gilchrist wore he had a very uncomplicated “hit the ball” approach. It’s a sight to cherish Gilchrist in his elements with that tremendous bat speed and top handed grip which intimidates the opposition to submission with an uncanny ability to hit the good balls, with steady head and sublime balance. In slog overs he abandons the textbook, whirling his bat like a gladiator, caring only for the scoreboard and never his average Amidst the breed of wicket keeper batsman Gilchirst clearly is a run away success with the ability to change the complexion of the game and also evoke intimidation .Alternately, he changed the way the wicketkeeper are looked at , getting the side off to flier and putting more pressure on the bowling attacks and keep wickets.

If Sanath Jayasuriya revolutionized batting at the top of the order in ODIs ,Adam just took that to a different level, and made indelible mark in the longer version coming in at number 7 .
It was not the amount of runs Gilchrist scored or the records he set behind the stumps but the manner he achieved them that will leave a enduring impression. In simple words, he changed the face of cricket .In the era of the wicketkeeper-batsman, Andy Flower, Alec Stewart, Mark Boucher and, most notably, Kumar Sangakkara have all given their captain lot of options to play with, but none of these has so obviously dictated matches in the way the unparalleled left-hander did.
Scoring at a strike rate of 82 per hundred balls is unprecedented in Test Cricket , achieved by Gilchrist - and none has launched as many as 101 sixes. His range of stroke are beyond imagination , as England were on the receiving end in Perth last winter when he blasted a quite extraordinary 57-ball hundred, just a single delivery outside the world record held since 1986 by Sir Vivian Richards. Unbelievably, he has played his 96 Tests consecutively. Icy reception at the Gabba did not faze him on debut against Pakistan as he took five catches , scored 81, hasn’t missed a single match since then.
Voted Australia's greatest one-day cricketer an year ago and, as if to acknowledge that, he sent a good Sri Lankans on leather hunt at the World Cup final last April with a vintage display of stroke-making. The 149 he made is the highest score in a final and none who saw the innings will ever quite be able to believe its dazzling display of class and power.
More importantly, he was a gentleman who respected his opponents and the game in equal measure. He clearly understood its origin and his willingness to walk if he knew he was out was admirable
Disadvantaged by his relatively tall stature for a pure wicket-keeper Gilchrist's skills as a wicket-keeper are sometimes questioned .Keeping wickets to Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath is a tribute to his skill behind the wicket, managing many stumpings, missing few catching chances, and letting through few byes.as he went past Healy's 395 dismissals in 26 fewer matches
The chasm will be immeasurable and may haunt the game. For the game to lose both him and Warne in the space of a year is a dreadful blow. Warne is a maverick; Gilchrist was revolutionary. Both though have been such special cricketers that it is hard to get these in a long long time to come







One more pearl has gone from the Australian string