Who is Jason Gillespie: Australian cricket coach Jason Neil Gillespie was born on April 19, 1975, and was a player in all three of the sport’s formats. In addition to being a capable lower-order batsman, he was a right-arm quick bowler, with the best score by a night watchman in international cricket being 201, achieved in his most recent Test match.
In August 1996, Gillespie made his One Day International debut at the Singer World Series against Sri Lanka in Colombo, and in November of the same year, he made his Test debut in Sydney against the West Indies. In addition, he was a first-class player for South Australia, Yorkshire, and Glamorgan. In 1995, he was awarded an AIS Australian Cricket Academy scholarship.
In February 2008, Gillespie declared his retirement from Australian first-class cricket. After that, he was a member of the Ahmedabad Rockets in the unofficial Indian Cricket League. He gave up playing first-class cricket after the conclusion of the 2008 English domestic season.
Who Is Jason Gillespie? Deets Inside
Personal life
Jason Gillespie is the first acknowledged Aboriginal male to play Test cricket, and he is descended from the Kamilaroi people of Indigenous Australians on his father’s side. Jason is the oldest of three children, and his mother is of Greek descent. Adelaide, South Australia’s Cabra Dominican College, was his school. In 2003, Gillespie wed Anna (née McEvoy). The pair is parents to four kids. A different daughter from a prior relationship belongs to Gillespie.
Gillespie, a vegan, has spoken in opposition to the use of leather balls and dairy production. Regarding the dairy company’s sponsorship of the team, Gillespie stated when coaching Yorkshire: “Yeah, they are a sponsor, but that doesn’t mean I agree with what they do. Similar to how cricket balls are constructed of leather, it is beyond my control.”
Gillespie is an atheist.
International career
Bowling
With 259 wickets in 71 Test matches (at an average of 26.13), Gillespie ranks 14th among Australian bowlers who have taken more than 100 wickets and is Australia’s sixth-highest wicket-taker.
While Gillespie was rarely the dominant player in a Test series (his highest series wicket total was 20), he was a solid supporting bowler for Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath for many years. The ICC named him to the World Test XI and ODI XI in 2004 for his efforts.
Batting
In 2004, at the Gabba, Glenn McGrath (61) and Gillespie (54*) shared a last-wicket stand of 114 against New Zealand, much to the amusement and praise of their colleagues. It was the first time in the Test or ODI versions of the game that either of them had scored fifty runs.
On April 19, 2006, at Chittagong during the second Test match against Bangladesh, Gillespie (201 not out) broke the record for the highest individual score by a nightwatchman worldwide, even though he was just 31 years old. It was his first century in the first class. Additionally, he and Michael Hussey shared a 320-run stand at the fourth wicket.
In addition to being selected man of the series for his exploits, which included taking eight wickets at an average of 11.3, Gillespie was voted man-of-the-match for his double century in the opening innings. It was his last international cricket match due to injuries. Gillespie is the first nightwatchman to hit two centuries in a Test match as of 2022.
Injuries
From his debut to his dismissal during the 2005 Ashes series, he appeared in just 52 of the 92 Tests that could have been played. Despite these issues, he was thrifty and accurate.
He and Steve Waugh were both running to collect a catch when they were involved in a devastating outfield accident during Australia’s 1999 tour of Sri Lanka. Gillespie was running in, and Waugh was running from the infield toward the outfield. Waugh fractured Gillespie’s right leg and broke his nose diving for the ball. They did not take the catch. Gillespie retired from cricket after suffering a shoulder injury while fielding for South Australia.
Coaching career
In August 2010, Gillespie moved to Zimbabwe to work as a coach. His main focus was on the MidWest Rhinos, but he also worked on “grassroots” initiatives to raise young players’ caliber in Zimbabwe.
Following the Indian Premier League franchise Kings XI Punjab’s April 2011 inaugural match against Pune Warriors, Gillespie was selected to serve as bowling coach.
Following a change in the club’s coaching structure, he was appointed Yorkshire’s first-team coach in November 2011. Yorkshire got promoted from Division Two of the County Championship in his first season there; they finished second in the first division the following year; and they won the championship in 2014 and 2015, the seasons he was considered for coaching England. After Yorkshire nearly missed out on a third consecutive title in 2016, he made his way back to Australia.
Gillespie was appointed head coach of the Big Bash League’s Adelaide Strikers in April 2015.
Former New Zealand Test player Dipak Patel was replaced by Gillespie as the temporary head coach of the Papua New Guinea national team in July 2017.
Gillespie joined Sussex as their head coach in 2018.
Gillespie was named South Australia’s next coach in August 2020.
Gillespie received the Australia Post Legend of Cricket designation in 2021.
