Wisden overview
A pocket-sized, right-handed Adam Gilchrist - they play for the same state, Western Australia - Ryan Campbell is a dashing, flashing, inconsistent but occasionally devastating wicketkeeper-batsman with shots all around the wicket. A graduate of the Australian Academy, he made his WA debut in 1994-95, hammered the quickest first-class and one-day centuries of the 1996-97 season, and then really announced himself with a booming 146 (off 147 balls) against England in 1998-99. On the few occasions that Gilchrist is available for WA, Campbell sometimes plays as a batsman alone, although his form was so poor in 2000-01 that, with Gilchrist on international duty, he lost the gloves to Mark Walsh. He received a lucrative offer from Victoria after that but stayed loyal to WA and started 2001-02 in good form. He was picked for Australia A against the tourists ahead of Brad Haddin, and his performances - a thrusting 46 against New Zealand as an opener and an unfussy, unbeaten 20 to finish off South Africa at No. 7 - demonstrated his quality and flexibility. When Gilchrist took a break from the VB Series citing personal problems, his state understudy and doppelganger got his first call-up for Australia. Rob Smyth

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