NEW DELHI, Oct 3: Australia's Adam Gilchrist spearheads a pack of explosive wicket-keepers in the Champions Trophy, ensuring plenty of fast and furious entertainment.

He is safe behind the stumps and devastating in front of them – the perfect modern-day example of how an effective wicket-keeper-batsman can be as much a match-winner as any batsman or a bowler.

All keepers want to emulate Gilchrist, who has established himself as a player who can change the course of a match with breathtaking stroke-play even in a crisis.

South African Mark Boucher, Sri Lankan Kumar Sangakkara, Indian Mahendra Dhoni, Pakistani Kamran Akmal and New Zealander Brendon McCullum are all potential match winners.

Gilchrist has been an integral part of the One-day team since he appeared on the scene in 1996. He already boasts 8,233 runs and 393 victims in the shorter version of the game.

Boucher's big-hitting was on view against Zimbabwe at Potchefstroom where he hammered a 44-ball century last month, the second fastest in One-day internationals after Pakistani Shahid Afridi's 37-ball effort.

The South African went on to make an unbeaten 147 off just 68 balls with 10 sixes and eight fours.

India's search for an attacking wicket-keeper-batsman has ended with Dhoni, known for his flocking locks, motorbikes and ability to smash the ball out of the park.

Dhoni, 25, may not be as steady behind the stumps as his Australian counterpart but has an uncanny knack of judging line and length which wins vital matches.

“When I started playing, I never thought of playing for any team. It was just for enjoyment. Cricket was more an entertainment for me,” Dhoni said.

Sangakkara has made rapid strides in both forms of the game since his international debut in 2000. He is a solid top-order batsman with a sharp eye for the gaps.

The Sri Lankan left-hander differs from Gilchrist and Dhoni in that he does not always believe in taking the aerial route to bolster the run-rate, but has the shots to dominate any attack.

Kamran may lack consistency but has played a few crucial top order knocks, including two successive centuries against England at home last year. However, he has been without a half-century since then.

The opposition underestimate McCullum at their own peril. The New Zealander can upset any opposition with hard and clean hitting lower down the order.—AFP