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Dizzy answers your questions on the Sheffield Shield, PNG cricket, and much more

4th November, 2017
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Jason Gillespie looks on. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)
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4th November, 2017
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Earlier in the week, we asked you to send in your questions for former Australian fast bowler and current Adelaide Strikers coach Jason Gillespie. Today, we bring you his answers.

We were able to ask Jason a range of questions, from the make-up of Australia’s team for the first Ashes Test to the overall selection policy to how to be the best possible nightwatchman.

Daniel Jeffrey: Let’s start with the Sheffield Shield. The first round is done. Any standout performances that caught your eye?

Jason Gillespie: Unfortunately, it was against South Australia. We saw Mitchell Starc take eight-for. Not surprising – he is one of the better bowlers in the world. It’s shown the pink ball under lights can pose some problems and he took a lot of his wickets then.

It’s a good thing for Australia heading into the Ashes – he is taking a lot of his wickets with the fuller delivery and getting the ball to move not just with conventional swing, but also reverse, so they are good signs for Australia. Mitch has taken his wickets bowling over and around the wicket, so that bodes well.

mitchell-starc-cricket-australia-test-waca-2016

(AP Photo/Rob Griffith)

DJ: Any batting performances that caught your eye?

JG: We saw Hilton Cartwright score a few runs. He is one of a number of players whose name has been thrown up amongst a number of players by journalists and media around the country as someone who can potentially fulfil that number six batting position.

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It appears that Usman Khawaja, with the hundred he got against Victoria, is a lock. You’d expect David Warner and Matthew Renshaw to start up, Khawaja at three, Smith at four and Peter Handscomb at five, so number six is the big question.

As Darren Lehmann and Pat Howard have said publicly, these first three rounds of Sheffield Shield are going to be pretty crucial. There’s still two more rounds of Shield cricket to go before the first Test, so it’s going to be interesting to see who puts performances on the board.

DJ: Wicketkeeper a position under a bit of doubt for Australia at the moment. One guy who has been mentioned a fair bit is Alex Carey, who you coached with the Strikers last year. Can you tell us a bit about him? Does he have what it takes to have a good Test career?

JG: Yeah, I certainly think so. If Alex is chosen, I think he would do a fine job. He is an outstanding wicketkeeper and good with the bat – which seems to be a prerequisite these days.

I subscribe to the theory that the top six have got to do the bulk of the work. That’s their job, to score runs. If the wicketkeeper and bowlers at eight and nine can contribute as well with the bat, then that’s a bonus. The focus needs to be on the best batsmen in the top six, pick the keeper who is going to do the best job behind the stumps.

I was surprised when Peter Nevill got dropped last year after the Hobart Test. Nevill is a fine keeper, but Matthew Wade got the opportunity. I feel for Wade because he has had to keep on the sub-continent – it’s the most difficult place for a keeper to ply his trade.

I can see where the selectors are coming from though, because they are probably thinking we need more output with the bat at number seven. We have to find that balance though, so I don’t know which way they will go. Either short term and back to Peter Nevill, or long-term and give a young kid like Carey the gloves.

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DJ: I’ll put you on the spot: who would you pick?

JG: I’d lean towards Carey.

DJ: One thing that’s come up recently is the horses for courses selection debate. Red Kev has asked what you think of it when it comes to the batting line-up; do you agree with Usman Khawaja that it breeds uncertainty and needless pressure or does it yield results?

JG: It’s a really hot topic. I personally would rather back players in, in all conditions. If you think they are the best player, then back them to the hilt.

I understand where Usman is coming from. We talk about wanting adaptable cricketers, adaptable players, so potentially having a horses for courses policy contradicts that a little bit.

Steve Smith Usman Khawaja

(AAP Image/Julian Smith)

Let’s use Usman as an example. If you say to him we back you and support you, however, in these conditions against these players we don’t rate you, so we are going to pick someone else, it doesn’t fill that player with optimism.

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At the end of the day, as a selector or coach, your greatest tool is if a player genuinely feels you believe in them to get the job done. If you constantly chop and change, you’re not supporting your players, which can potentially create doubt.

I’m not sitting on the fence at all, I would stick with players as a general rule and give them all the help and support you can for them to perform at the top of their ability because, at the end of the day, you want adaptable players rather than adapted players.

DJ: I’ll go to another question from the Crowd. Johnno says that, back when you were playing, there was some real depth in the pace battery. Do you think we have the same depth at the moment outside the top three or four quicks and are the next three or four up to Test standard?

JG: I think they could be, but we won’t actually know until they play. That’s the reality of it.

The cupboard isn’t as bare as people think. There are a lot of fine fast bowlers going around the traps in Australian cricket. It’s very easy to judge watching Shield performances, but until guys get a go at international level, it’s hard to be too critical of them and say they aren’t up to it.

DJ: If there’s an injury to one our top three quicks, is there a guy you’d look to come into the side?

JG: With the number six position for the Ashes, Sheffield Shield form comes into consideration. Basically, whoever performs the best is potentially going to be selected. Is it going to be the same way with the fast bowlers?

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There’s been a lot of talk, especially here in South Australia, about Chadd Sayers, who has churned out wickets in the last few years. Chadd wouldn’t let anyone down, he comes from a different trajectory being a bit shorter, and you wonder if he could fulfil a roll if the wicket gets a bit lower and slower.

A guy who’s a bit shorter than Starc, Hazlewood and Cummins, bowling 130-135 and looking to hit the stumps every ball, could he have an impact? You don’t know until he gets an opportunity.

I must admit, I like Jason Behrendorff – a tall guy who swings the ball at a different pace. Nathan Coulter-Nile bowls gas. These guys are great.

In a couple of years, once he gets a bit of bowling under his belt, Billy Stanlake from Queensland is someone we should keep an eye on. We need to have a degree of patience with Bill though. He hasn’t bowled a lot of balls in professional cricket, so we need to let him learn his trade in different conditions and he could be a viable option for the selectors to look at.

Billy Stanlake of Australia celebrates

(AAP Image/Richard Wainwright)

DJ: This next question comes from Brian. Touching on your experience with Papua New Guinea, should the T20 World Cup be expanded to 20 teams so sides like Papua New Guinea have a chance of qualifying and competing with the established nations?

JG: Yeah, I completely agree. I enjoyed my time with PNG, it was a great experience and I learnt a lot. Enjoyed the enthusiasm from the players and staff there.

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As for the T20 World Cup, for me, it’s the more the merrier. It’s a World Cup, but we’re only going to have ten teams. That doesn’t make any sense to me.

If it’s a World Cup, it should be a true World Cup and the more teams the merrier. I wouldn’t have a problem with 20 teams whatsoever.

Part of our brief is to grow the game, and you aren’t helping that by limiting tournaments to the Test-playing nations or full members. That make no sense from a growth of the game point of view. So I’d personally like to see as many teams as possible.

How good would it be to see PNG play Australia in Port Moresby or Fiji playing England? It would be brilliant for the game.

Many years ago we saw Kenya, through a bit of luck, get to the finals of the World Cup. We see it in football around the world at the World Cup where those giant-killers come through with fairytale stories.

It helps to grow the game of football and I don’t see why we can’t have that in cricket.

DJ: Do you think that should be expanded across all formats of the game?

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JG: There would obviously be logistical challenges involved with the longest format of the game, so I can understand that more. Hopefully, there will be this Test championship moving forward, but T20 and ODI cricket is the perfect vehicle to grow our game.

Administrators talk about wanting to grow our game in China and America, but we either do it or we don’t. Let’s be very proactive and get that spark happening in these non-traditional cricket countries. The way to do that is get them involved in these big tournaments, even if it’s in the early knockout stages.

Jason Gillespie looks on.

(Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)

DJ: What’s your prediction for the Ashes?

JG: I tend not to do what Glenn does and say five-zip. England are a damn good side, so I expect them to jag a Test, but I’m ever the optimist and I like to see Australia do well.

It’ll be a result series with one draw. So Australia three, England one in a very close series. The scoreboard suggests Australia will win easily, but I think there will be some classic games of cricket in this series.

DJ: Okay, here’s our last question from JD St George. What’s your advice to a fellow nightwatchman on six not out for how to approach the innings?

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JG: You are talking to the absolute expert on this.

It’s what’s best for the team. The nightwatchman has done their job if they survive that night, so the next day it’s about doing what the team needs. If it means going out and being positive to slog a quick 20, do that.

But speak to the captain, keep the frontline batsman on strike and support him. I wouldn’t recommend running out your captain as a tactic, because I ended up scoring a double, but it was my last Test innings because I ran out Ricky Ponting when he was on 50.

That would be my advice, don’t run out the captain.

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