Jason Neil Gillespie (born 19 April 1975) is an Australian cricket coach and former

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

er who played all three formats of the game. Jason Gillespie was appointed as the head coach for Pakistan's red-ball (Test) cricket team on April 28, 2024. However, his tenure was short-lived; he resigned in December 2024. A right-arm fast bowler, he was also a competent lower-order batsman whose unbeaten 201 in his last Test match is the highest score by a night-watchman in international cricket. He was a part of the Australian squad which won the 2003 Cricket World Cup. Gillespie made his One Day International debut against

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in the Singer World Series in August 1996, and his Test debut against the

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in November 1996. He also played for

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and

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at first-class level, and was an AIS Australian Cricket Academy scholarship holder in 1995. Gillespie announced his retirement from first-class cricket in Australia in February 2008. He then played in the unauthorised Indian Cricket League for the Ahmedabad Rockets. At the end of the 2008 English domestic season he retired from all first-class cricket.

Personal life

Jason Gillespie is a descendant on his father's side of the Kamilaroi people of

Indigenous Australians Indigenous Australians are people with familial heritage from, or recognised membership of, the various ethnic groups living within the territory of contemporary Australia prior to History of Australia (1788–1850), British colonisation. The ...

, and is the first acknowledged Aboriginal male to become a Test cricketer. His mother has Greek heritage and Jason is the eldest of the three children. He attended Cabra Dominican College in

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

, South Australia. Gillespie married Anna (née McEvoy) in 2003. The couple have four children. Gillespie has another daughter from a previous relationship. Gillespie is a

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and has criticised dairy farming and the use of leather balls. While coaching

, Gillespie said of the club being sponsored by a dairy: "Yes, they are a sponsor but it doesn't mean I agree with what they do. It's out of my control, just like the fact that cricket balls are made of leather".

International career

Bowling

Gillespie took 259 wickets in 71 Tests (at an average of 26.13) making him Australia's sixth-highest wicket-taker and giving him the 14th best bowling average for Australian bowlers who have taken more than a hundred wickets. Gillespie seldom dominated a Test series (the most wickets he took in a series is 20), but he was a reliable support bowler over several years for his more famous teammates Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne. For his performances in 2004, he was named both in the World Test XI and ODI XI by the ICC.

Batting

Glenn McGrath (61) and Gillespie (54*) shared a last-wicket stand of 114 against New Zealand in 2004 at

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to the hilarity and acclaim of their teammates. It was the first time that either of them had made a 50 in either Test or ODI versions of the game. In the second Test against

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

at Chittagong on 19 April 2006, Gillespie (201 not out) set the world record (on his 31st birthday) for the highest individual score by a nightwatchman. This was his maiden first-class century. He also shared a fourth-wicket partnership of 320 runs with Michael Hussey. Gillespie was awarded man-of-the-match honours for his double century in the first innings and he was also named man of the series for his efforts that included eight wickets, at an average of 11.3. Due to injury, it was his final match in international cricket. As of 2024, Gillespie is the only nightwatchman to score a double century in a Test match.

Injuries

He played only 52 from a possible 92 Tests following his debut to his axing during the 2005 Ashes series. Despite these problems, he was both accurate and economical. In Australia's 1999 tour of

, he was involved in a sickening outfield collision when both he and Steve Waugh were running to take a catch. Waugh was running from the infield towards the outfield, while Gillespie was running in. Waugh dived for the ball resulting in his nose and Gillespie's right leg being broken. The catch was not taken. Gillespie's career was cut short by a shoulder injury while fielding for

, leading to his retirement.

Coaching career

Gillespie became a coach in

Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

in August 2010. He worked primarily with the Mid West Rhinos, but also on "

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" activities to improve the performance of young players in Zimbabwe. Gillespie was drafted in as the bowling coach of Indian Premier League team Kings XI Punjab after their opening match against Pune Warriors in April 2011. In November 2011, he was named first-team coach of

after a shake up in the club's coaching system. In his first season with Yorkshire, they were promoted from Division Two of the

County Championship The County Championship, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Rothesay County Championship, is the only domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales. Established in 1890, it is organised by the England and Wales Cri ...

; in the second they were runners-up in the first division; and they won the title in 2014 and 2015, when he was one of the candidates to coach England. He returned to Australia after Yorkshire narrowly missed out on a third successive title in 2016. In April 2015, Gillespie was named as the coach of the Adelaide Strikers team in the Big Bash League. In July 2017, Gillespie was appointed as the interim head coach for the Papua New Guinea national team replacing former New Zealand Test player, Dipak Patel. In 2018, Gillespie took up the position of head coach of Sussex. In August 2020, Gillespie was appointed the new coach of

. In 2021, Gillespie was named an Australia Post Legend of Cricket.

Pakistan (2024)

In April 2024, the

Pakistan Cricket Board The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), formerly known as Board of Control for Cricket in Pakistan (BCCP), is a sports governing body for cricket in Pakistan responsible for controlling and organising all tours and matches undertaken by the Pakistan ...

announced Gillespie as the head coach of the Pakistan men's team in the

test cricket Test cricket is a Forms of cricket, format of the sport of cricket, considered the game’s most prestigious and traditional form. Often referred to as the "ultimate test" of a cricketer's skill, endurance, and temperament, it is a format of i ...

for a two-year period. In October 2024, Gillespie was appointed coach of the white ball team on an interim basis following the departure of South Africa's Gary Kirsten. He subsequently led a white-ball tour to Australia in Kirsten's absence, securing victory in the one-day series but losing the T20 series. Aqib Javed replaced him for the following tour to Zimbabwe. On 12th December 2024, He resigned as head coach of Pakistan's Test side.

Career best performances

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gillespie, Jason Australia One Day International cricketers Australia Test cricketers Australia Twenty20 International cricketers Gamilaraay South Australia cricketers Yorkshire cricketers Australian expatriate cricketers in England Glamorgan cricketers Wisden Cricketers of the Year Indigenous Australian cricketers Australian people of Greek descent Sportspeople of Greek descent 1975 births Living people Cricketers from Sydney Ahmedabad Rockets cricketers Australian cricketers Australian cricket coaches Australian Institute of Sport cricketers Veganism in Australia Australian atheists Coaches of the Papua New Guinea national cricket team Australian expatriate sportspeople in Wales Australian expatriate cricketers in India Adelaide Strikers coaches 20th-century Australian sportsmen 21st-century Australian sportsmen