Jason Gillespie puts pen to paper on long term Sussex contract

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Cricket365
October 9, 2019

Former Australia paceman Jason Gillespie has committed his long-term future to Sussex after the 44-year-old put pen to paper on a new with the county to remain their head coach until the end of the 2022 season.

Gillespie’s name had been frequently touted as a possible candidate to replace Trevor Bayliss as England’s head coach, though the man himself never officially announced his intention to go for the role – which eventually landed at the feet of bowling coach Chris Silverwood.

The ex-Aussie seamer, who oversaw Yorkshire’s title triumphs in the County Championship in 2014 and 2015, was appointed ahead of last year’s campaign, replacing Mark Davis.

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While Sussex have qualified for the knockout stages of the Vitality Blast in both of his seasons in charge – and reached the final last year – Gillespie has been unable to lead the club to promotion in the championship.

“I really feel we’re moving in the right direction, which is really pleasing,” Gillespie said.

Sussex County Cricket PA

“I can’t fault the efforts of all our players and coaches. We’re all on the same page; everyone wants what’s best for the club, and I feel we’re progressing in reaching those aims.

“We’ve had some really good times together, and we’ve had some challenging times, but we’re all clear about what we’re setting out to achieve and focused on improving and developing to keep us moving forward.

“That’s a pretty special thing to be part of. I want to thank the club for the opportunity to carry on being part of that and for showing faith in me.

Jason Gillespie Sussex 2 Getty

“I’m determined to repay that faith by keeping things moving in the right direction and hopefully having some success down the track.”

Sussex chief executive Rob Andrew added: “There is going to be a lot of change in cricket over the next couple of years and we wanted some continuity through this period.

“We still have a lot of work to do to improve the men’s side and we were disappointed not to achieve promotion to division one of the County Championship this season. It is where the club aspires to be.”