‘GILLESPIE EXIT WILL INSPIRE US’
Moxon believes that move can lead to title hat-trick
YORKSHIRE chief Martyn Moxon believes the announcement that first-team coach Jason Gillespie is to leave the club at the end of the season will only inspire the players to send him on his way with a hat-trick of titles.
Yorkshire confirmed yesterday that Gillespie is going at the end of the summer, citing family reasons after his wife and children recently returned to Australia.
Gillespie will join them at home in Adelaide in October after five seasons in charge of Yorkshire, whom he has led to back-toback County Championships.
Director of cricket Moxon believes the timing of the announcement – with second-placed Yorkshire five points behind leaders Middlesex with four games left – will only motivate the side to give Gillespie a fairytale send-off.
“I don’t see it (the timing) being a problem,” said Moxon.
“If anything, I think it’s going to inspire everybody to finish the season strongly.
“It’s not going to negatively affect the dressing room, and it’s just a little bit more inspiration, if we ever needed it, to try and get a treble of County Championships.
“The reaction among the players when we told them was, ‘let’s finish on a high and send Dizzy out on a high’. That’s the message.”
The players were told in the aftermath of Yorkshire’s Royal London Cup semi-final defeat to Surrey on Sunday.
Moxon said the announcement was also designed to head off ongoing speculation surrounding Gillespie’s future, with the fact that he would probably leave during the close season having been an open secret in-and-around Headingley due to his family situation.
“Clearly, there’s been a lot of speculation,” said Moxon.
“Dizzy’s been asked quite a bit about the future, hence why we’ve made the announcement now to squash all the speculation, because that does create doubt in the dressing room when people hear rumours.
“We took a balanced view on it and felt it was probably best to end all the speculation now, and get it out there so everybody knows exactly what’s happening.
“Ideally, it would have been nice to have done it after winning the semi-final rather than losing one, so it had nothing to do with the result of that match.”
Moxon admitted he had known for some time that Yorkshire would have to start searching for a new head coach.
He has enjoyed a strong working relationship with Gillespie, overseeing all cricketing affairs while Gillespie has focused on the day-to-day running of the first XI.
“We’ve known for some time within the management group, and it’s no surprise to us that are close to him,” said Moxon. “With Anna and the children going back after the school term, and the fact that the family over there were missing the grandkids, etcetera, it’s not a surprise that it was going to be difficult for Diz to be here for several months of the year while his family were in Australia.
“From my point of view, I can only thank him for what he’s done and say that it’s been a pleasure to work with him. We’ve worked really well and closely together, and we get on as friends as well, so it’s been something really special these last five years.”
What Gillespie has done is best highlighted by Yorkshire’s Championship record in the past five seasons.
Going into tomorrow’s game against Hampshire at Southampton, Yorkshire have lost just five of 76 Championship fixtures under his leadership, becoming the standout force in four-day cricket.
“Dizzy has headed up the first team for five years and done a fantastic job,” said Moxon.
“He’s created an environment whereby some good players can go out and play and express themselves.
“All of the support staff have played their part within the group, and it’s been a real team effort, but Dizzy has headed it up and he’s put his stamp on the team.
“Particularly in four-day cricket, it’s a remarkable record, and we’re starting to improve in oneday cricket as well, so he’s done a great job for Yorkshire overall.”
Gillespie, 41, was unavailable for comment yesterday pending a press conference at Headingley this morning when he will clarify his reasons for going.
Moxon will begin the search for his successor after ruling himself out of the running to combine both roles.
“I’ve moved on from that now,” he said. “I think it’s impossible to combine the overseeing and the day-to-day running of the first team because there’s too much involved.
“I’m keen to stay where I am doing what I’m doing, and we’ll appoint somebody in time to carry on the work and oversee the next few years.
“I’ve got a couple of things I want to explore (possible successors to Gillespie), but, if nothing comes of those, then it will be the end of the season before we look at it more closely.”
Among potential candidates could be England assistant coach Paul Farbrace and the Gloucestershire head coach Richard Dawson, both of whom have recently coached the Yorkshire second team.
But whoever takes over will have some mighty shoes to fill.
JASON GILLESPIE’S departure as Yorkshire’s first-team coach, after five years in charge of the county champions, had been on the cards for some time.
Earlier this summer, Gillespie’s wife, Anna, and their four children moved back to Adelaide in Australia.
It would be a strange marriage that could survive for several months apart on opposite sides of the world, although, on second thoughts, some couples would probably relish that thought.
Flippancy aside, Yorkshire had hoped to get at least one more year out of Gillespie, whose future had been the subject of regular speculation since he took the job in 2011.
Since then, the former Australia fast bowler has helped the club to one County Championship promotion and to back-toback Championship titles, with the prospect of a hat-trick to follow next month.
Under Gillespie, Yorkshire have also twice reached NatWest T20 Blast Finals Day and successive Royal London Cup semifinals, although, after 14 years without a one-day trophy, they have yet to crack limited-overs cricket in quite the same way.
Gillespie’s track record, however, speaks for itself (Yorkshire have lost only five of 76 Championship games since his arrival), and he has been linked with practically more international coaching positions than there are jobs vacant.
There are many observers – this correspondent included – who thought that he should have got the England job last year, an opinion that has not been altered by progress under Trevor Bayliss.
Gillespie has also been linked with international positions back home, where his great friend and former team-mate Darren Lehmann is in charge of the Australia side.
Gillespie already doubles up as coach of the Big Bash franchise Adelaide Strikers, and potential moves for him now could include international cricket/the Indian Premier League.
Although Yorkshire will be sad to see him go, it was a case of ‘when’, not ‘if ’, Gillespie left.
The time would seem right for him not only from a family perspective, but also, one suspects, from a cricketing point of view.
Gillespie has probably taken Yorkshire as far as he can; their performances in the Championship this summer have actually tailed off a touch, although they have been more affected by injuries than in recent seasons, and they go into the final four matches just five points behind leaders Middlesex.
But it has not been the dominant campaign that many had hoped, although the end result is all that counts, and the players will be doubly determined to give Gillespie a successful sendoff.
Yorkshire’s magnificent pace attack is not getting any younger, and although there is no reason to suspect that the current side cannot aim to stretch their run of titles to at least four or five in a row, Yorkshire must soon face such unpalatable questions as: “Exactly how do you replace Ryan Sidebottom?”
Sport moves in cycles, and Gillespie has been part of a golden cycle at Yorkshire. He will leave with the thanks of the club’s supporters, who already respected him for what he achieved as a player.
As a key member of the great Australia side of the Nineties and Noughties, Gillespie took 402 international wickets. As a coach, it is noticeable that he never speaks about that success, or indeed seeks credit for Yorkshire’s recent triumphs.
He appreciates that it is players who win silverware first and foremost, and that support staff, in a nutshell, are exactly what that term would imply.
Gillespie’s coaching methods would seem quite simple: he does not over-complicate the game, but encourages his players to perform with freedom and to try to take the positive option.
He recognises the importance of making sure that the players believe that the coach believes in them, and his style is more arm-around-the-shoulder than ranter-and-raver.
Like all in sport, however, he hides a tough streak, although never quite to the extent that it masks a cheerful personality for too long.
At heart, he is a thoroughly decent chap: friendly, personable, and with time for all.
Even his infamous comments about the dairy industry, which he suggested earlier this summer should be closed down as it does not tie in with his vegan views, betrayed that decency and caring disposition, even if they were not shared by everyone – not least the Yorkshire sponsors, Wensleydale Cheese.
Yorkshire will not replace him easily, but a team of talented cricketers will cope.
Gillespie himself has seen to it, by helping to create a culture that will not be broken just because the time has come for him to say goodbye.