The Adelaide Strikers are excited to welcome home a South Australian cricketing great, securing Jason ‘Dizzy’ Gillespie as their coach for the next two seasons.
Gillespie has established himself as a respected coach during his last three seasons at Yorkshire Cricket Club, building a reputation for clear communication, a sharp cricket brain and a straight forward approach to the game.
He guided the side to the Champions League Twenty20 in his first season in charge before delivering Yorkshire their first county title in 13 years in 2014. He has also previously worked with Kings XI Punjab in the IPL as a specialist bowling coach.
As a player, Gillespie made 71 test appearances for Australia and remains the seventh highest Test wicket-taker in Australian history with 259 wickets. He also famously made a double-century as a night-watchman against Bangladesh in 2006. Gillespie also sits in the top ten South Australian wicket-takers, with 202 first-class scalps in 54 matches.
“I’m a proud and passionate South Australian and to be able to come back and be involved with the Adelaide Strikers is a dream come true,” said Gillespie.
“To be able to come back to Adelaide and see all the wonderful South Australians come out to support the Adelaide Strikers, and see the lads go out there and put on a show for them is really exciting for me.
“I love working with quality people and I love working with fantastic players. The Adelaide Strikers have got some fantastic cricketers and I’m really looking forward to just getting stuck in and helping them achieve their goals, which is winning games of cricket.”
With the coaching position now confirmed, the Adelaide Strikers will move forward with their player recruitment plans. With 11 players already secured for BBL|05, the Strikers’ priority will be a second international signing.
Adelaide Strikers BBL|05 squad so far: Jono Dean, Travis Head, Brad Hodge, Ben Laughlin, Tim Ludeman, Michael Neser, Kieron Pollard, Gary Putland, Kane Richardson, Alex Ross, Craig Simmons.