DIZZY: They called me 'Dizzy' and that was that - I was part of it

My first memory of the Australian Cricket Team when I was involved was the 1996 World Cup. We had been having a fantastic season as a team for South Australia and I had been amongst the wickets as well.

Still, it was a major shock when it was announced that I had been selected to replace the injured Craig McDermott for the latter stages of the World Cup.

I was 20 years old and was yet to complete a full season in Sheffield Shield cricket. For reasons known only to a 20-year-old Jason Gillespie, I sported a hairdo which would have been more at home on a heavy metal album cover than a professional cricket player.

I was shy and a bit unsure of myself. I was also a very young father – my partner at the time and I were parents to our one-year-old daughter, so it was fair to say there was a bit going on at the time!

It dawned on me as I was being interviewed at the airport by the media upon my departure for India that I had actually never met (or played against) any of the players that were about to be my teammates. I also did not know anyone else with the team – in 1996 the Australian team had a coach (Bob Simpson), a manager (Ian McDonald), a scorer (Mike Walsh) and a physiotherapist (Errol Alcott).

I have to admit, I was a tad nervous about meeting all these great players I had admired as a young man learning the game.

I was greeted at the airport in India by team manager Ian McDonald and coach Bob Simpson. These were the first of many introductions in the next hour or so!

Ian and Bob (who were both in the coming days becoming known to me as Macca and Simmo) gave me a brief rundown of the tour so far in the car to the hotel. They also were interested in starting to get to know me, and I remember thinking at the time how comfortable I was chatting with them both.

We arrived at the hotel late in the evening and I made my way to my room. I was just getting settled when there was a knock on my door. I opened it to see the Australian captain Mark Taylor standing there introducing himself and thrusting out his hand for a handshake. I had to quickly remind myself that he was not the Mark Taylor that I admired as a player watching international cricket on TV, he was now my captain and my teammate.

To this day I do not remember specifically what we spoke about in my room that first evening as an Australian player on tour but I do remember having a bit of trouble getting to sleep that night – I was pretty pumped and besides the excitement, I am sure that the feeling of inclusiveness had a lot to do with it.

The next morning we had breakfast followed by practice and I was gradually introduced to all the players in the squad. Now this may sound very silly but the thing that stood out for me just listening to the players (my new teammates) interact at breakfast, on the bus and at practice was nicknames. Everyone had one and everyone used one for everyone else. I had been involved with teams before and nicknames were common however maybe it was because I had aspired to this my whole life and put all these guys on pedestals that I found the nicknames noticeable.

For instance, I remember at training being a bit surprised at Steve Waugh only being referred to as ‘Tugga’ and Mark Waugh being called ‘Junior’. It wasn’t that I thought no one had nicknames, but I suppose because I was now in the ‘inner sanctum’ and was privy to this interaction. I was very quickly only referred to as ‘Dizzy’, and that was that.

All the lads took it upon themselves to include me in social situations, particularly ‘Pistol’ (Paul Reiffel), ‘Flemo’ (Damien Fleming) and ‘Pidge’ (Glenn McGrath) on that trip. To this day I still thank them for making me feel such a part of things, and like I belonged there.

I suppose that is where I am going with these words. I have been often asked what the “Culture” of the Australian Cricket Team is like. For me, my little story on my introduction to the Australian cricket team paints a pretty clear picture.

If a 20-year-old kid flies to India to meet his new teammates for the first time (some had never seen me bowl!) who just so happen to be the Australian cricket team and almost immediately feels at home in that environment, I would say that tells you a lot about the culture of the team, the leaders (coach and captain) and the squad.

From that tour onwards for the next decade of my international career, I was always at my most comfortable in the Australian team environment. I always referred back to my first experience meeting up with the team whenever a new player joined our group and hoped I could make them feel as welcome as I was made to feel back in 1996.

I am convinced the Australian team environment played a role in the success of the sode in my time. I will always remember a chat with Steve Waugh before his first test series as captain – the West Indies 1999 tour. He had chats with all the players on that trip.

He obviously had learnt a great deal from his predecessors Taylor and Border because the way he spoke to me was honest, with an understanding of me as a player and person and I remember thinking at the time two things.

– I have been left in no doubt who is in charge
– He’s backing me to the hilt.

Knowing that you have the support of your captain allows a player to simply go out and do their job. It may sound simple yet it can be very empowering.

If you are always thinking one false shot or one bad over could see you out of the team then there is a chance that one could go into ‘self preservation mode’ and just look after themselves to make sure they play the next game or secure the next contract.

Consistency with messages from leaders on and off the field are key and the leadership of the Australian Cricket Team in my time was strong, clear and consistent. The environment created was one of empowerment.

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