Dizzy’s spinning at the prospect of putting smiles on faces at Hove
JASON Gillespie is champing at the bit to return to county cricket – and is looking forward to putting a smile on the face of everyone involved with Sussex when he arrives at Hove to start his stint as coach.
Speaking to The Cricket Paper from his home in South Australia while enjoying a glass of red and no doubt toasting the Aussies’ ten-wicket mauling of England at the Gabba, Gillespie emphasised just how hard it had been to leave Yorkshire at the end of the 2016 campaign.
His record at Headingley added further stardust to a CV that is already among the most impressive in the world game.
Despite initial reservations over taking over the role at Sussex, the fact that he can now base himself in England for seven months of the year, while also continuing to live in Australia for the remaining five made it an opportunity too good to turn down.
And after taking the plunge, he believes that the good times could be about to roll again on the south coast.
“I’ve enjoyed it down there
several times and now I’m looking forward to being a local seven months of the year,” says the man known as ‘Dizzy’.
“When Sussex got in touch with me there was absolutely no question that it was a job that piqued my interest. Sussex haven’t achieved all they wanted to achieve over the past couple of years and things could be better with the squad that they’ve got because they’ve got a good mix of young lads and experience.
“Originally, if I’m honest, I didn’t think about it being a realistic option because I had left Yorkshire and felt it was time to finish up there because, from a family point of view, we needed to be back in Australia. The kids needed to be closer to family and my wife needed a bit more support because having five years in England with no family close took a little bit of a toll. They were the main reasons for heading back.
“But when we talked about me not needing to be here for the full 12 months and that there was scope for the family to come and visit during the school holidays then we started to think that it could work.”
The capture of Gillespie is an undoubted coup for Sussex CEO Rob Andrew and a side currently stuck in Division Two of the County Championship. It will also provide the county’s squad with the biggest fillip possible going into the new season.
“What you are going to see with Sussex is players going out with big smiles on their faces and players going out and doing what they love,” he says.
“We’re going to strive to have a real happy dressing room, a hard-working dressing room and guys challenging each other to be the best that they can be. They’re non-negotiables.
“The enjoyment factor is incredibly important.Why are we in this game? You don’t do it because you hate it, you do it because you love it. I’ll always challenge players to do the things that make them successful. I can’t wait.”