The Hindu Business Line : Will Gilchrist return to school?

Pune, Oct. 26 Adam Gilchrist may have ignited the cricket field with his brilliant performance, but Australia’s University of Wollongong, which approved his application for entry to a graduate programme over 20 years ago, is still hopeful that the superstar can be lured into returning to school.

“My parents were teachers and my brother was part of the alumni at Wollongong. I was heading in the same direction, but cricket got in the way,” Gilly quipped, referring to the tertiary education that never happened.

“After he finished high school, Adam applied for a degree course at the University of Wollongong,” says Chris Grange, Vice-Principal (Administration) at the varsity.

“But before he joined, his father rang up the faculty and said, ‘Adam wants to go and do cricket. Will you keep a place for him in case it doesn’t work out?’ He hasn’t come back to us,” laughs Grange, adding, “I am still hoping to talk him into returning to complete the degree.”

The cricketer himself, who is the UoW brand ambassador for the last couple of years, emphasised that education is “very important” and like a ticket to the game.

“For every star out there, there are thousands who have fallen by the wayside,” he said, adding, “It will be a narrow mind that thinks of doing nothing more than sport.”