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Jason Gillespie exclusive interview: 'I say what I think and don't like seeing injustice'

Sussex coach Jason Gillespie - CHRISTOPHER PLEDGER
Sussex coach Jason Gillespie - CHRISTOPHER PLEDGER

"The short answer is probably not," says Jason Gillespie, Sussex’s departing head coach, shying away from the question of whether he might, one day, want to venture beyond the world of cricket.

It seems an obvious question to ask, and not just because Gillespie's impending departure from English cricket - where he has worked for the last nine years, first at Yorkshire and then, since 2018, at Hove - for a role with the South Australian Cricket Association is a clear moment to appraise his career. Gillespie loves cricket but he is not a prisoner to it: his social media interactions with fans are as likely to be about Australia’s immigration policies as they are Ravi Bopara's place in the batting order.

"I quite enjoy discussing with people," he admits. "I say what I think and I don’t like seeing social injustice. You know, treat everyone equally."

He pauses. "But to go to the extent of getting involved in administration or politics? I don’t think I’d do that, no."

Gillespie does, however, get told on occasion to "stick to cricket".

"That’s an interesting one," laughs the former Australian fast bowler. "People are entitled to a certain opinion. If someone wants to say 'stick to cricket', they can if they want. Sometimes, you might go back, if the bloke’s a bricklayer or something, and say, 'Well, why don’t you just stick to bricklaying, mate?'

"Sometimes I just don’t think it’s worth responding. If someone is that narrow-minded, that they can’t allow someone to have an opinion, or a differing opinion, then I don’t think they’re really worth giving any of your time to, to be perfectly blunt."

More often than not, however, Gillespie does give his time to those with differing opinions, patiently taking to his public platform to explain his views. Gillespie’s coaching style reflects this empathetic outlook; he seeks to "empower coaching staff" and instil in his players the knowledge that they're being "backed and believed in", a philosophy which will underpin his approach to Thursday's T20 Blast quarter-final meeting with Lancashire.

And he has always had an eye on things outside the game, even as a player. Not that he will admit it, having been an integral player in the tough-as-nails Steve Waugh era of Australian dominance.

Jason Gillespie celebrates a wicket - REUTERS
Jason Gillespie celebrates a wicket - REUTERS

"I was probably as much in the cricket bubble as anyone else [when I was playing]. I was obsessed with cricket," insists Gillespie, who once said that if he had not been a professional cricketer, he had intended to read Australian Studies at university, with aspirations of a life in academia. "More so than since I’ve stopped playing, as since then I’ve started to expand my thoughts and interests. Because I was so focused on my cricket.

"One thing if I did have my time again, and I’m always really open about this with the players, is encouraging them to have interests away from the game, because it can be an all-consuming game. I encourage the lads to explore other things, whether it be study, or reading, or having an interest outside of the sport. So I did all my coaching levels, but certainly if I had my time again, I probably would have done the coaching earlier, and done a bit more in the media in my downtime, as I really enjoy the radio side of things."

Gillespie may feel that he should have broadened his horizons earlier, but really, he has often been one step ahead. He was part of the first venture into franchise T20 cricket, signing as a player with the innovative broadcaster-funded Indian Cricket League before the officially sanctioned IPL barred any further involvement. As a coach he has won national titles in both the red and white-ball game, at home and overseas. And just as the cricketing world is starting to face some stark truths regarding its relationship with race, Gillespie is one step ahead there too.

Australia’s first acknowledged Aboriginal men’s Test player and the son of a legal rights campaigner, he has been advocating for Aboriginal rights in Australia for decades. He is also supportive of the 'carrot-and-stick’ approach to improving racial diversity in cricket, as recently announced by Tom Harrison, the ECB’s CEO, which would punish counties financially if they fail to ensure staff adequately reflect their local communities.

And Gillespie is acutely aware of just what any financial punishment would mean to a county in the current environment. You would be forgiven for thinking that Gillespie might take his new, dream job, of coaching the red-ball side of his home state of South Australia, and run. But this is forgetting the man who has so endeared himself to county supporters precisely because he is emotionally invested in the game.

Jason Gillespie coaching Yorkshire in 2015 - GETTY IMAGES
Jason Gillespie coaching Yorkshire in 2015 - GETTY IMAGES

"It’s been a tough year," sighs Gillespie. "We’ve copped it left, right and centre." He is referring both to the flack that he and Sussex receive from supporters for certain selections or signings, but also the financial plight that the club now faces. "It’s been a challenge, but the fact that we’re playing pretty good T20 cricket minimises some of the noise.

"A couple of players haven’t had their contracts renewed, and people are kicking off. But they don’t know what goes on behind the scenes. And everyone has an opinion. With everything that’s going on in the world, every decision is really, really thought long and hard about. There are a lot of clubs out there that are counting every single penny.

"We know how much the counties rely on membership, on people coming through the gate. A lot of clubs, like Sussex, have got a lot of really good corporate and hospitality facilities that are just sitting idle at the moment. There is no income coming into the club, but we’re having to pay to stage matches behind closed doors. There are massive challenges for the sport, and just as we’re seeing the effects of no crowds at the lower leagues of football, some of these clubs are going to go under, aren’t they?"

The picture is similarly bleak in Australia, with cricket’s governing body having projected a near 50 per cent fall in revenue this year. In a global pandemic, nowhere in sport is safe. There is a sense, however, that Gillespie’s approach, to listen, learn and interact, is exactly how sport and society needs to be run. Maybe there is a politician in there yet.