Jason Gillespie

Jason Neil Gillespie (born April 19, 1975 in Sydney) is an Australian cricketer (right arm fast bowler). He made his Test debut against the West Indies in Sydney in 1996 and his one-day international debut against Sri Lanka at Colombo in the Singer World Series in 1996.

Biography

Jason Gillespie is a descendant of the Kamilaroi people of Indigenous Australians, and is the first acknowledged Aboriginal person to become a Test cricketer. Jason married his wife Anna in 2003. The couple have since had a son, Jackson, in February 2006.

Bowling

Gillespie has taken 259 wickets in 71 Tests (an average of 26.08) making him Australia's fifth-highest wicket-taker.

In terms of pace, he bowled in the mid 140's-150 km/h mark in his early career up to about 2001. When he made his comeback in the late 2000, early 2001 season, he bowled more consistently, but at a speed of about mid-130's-low-140's in terms of kilometres per hour. Consistent injuries forced Gillespie to operate from a shorter run-up and therefore reduce his pace.

Gillespie seldom dominates a series (the most wickets he has taken in a series is 20), but he has had considerable success against Sachin Tendulkar. However, Gillespie's career suffered an unexpectedly sharp decline. In early 2005, there were some signs that he was struggling, with somewhat poor displays against New Zealand, but he was still considered Australia's leading fast bowling partner for Glenn McGrath. But he struggled badly in the 2005 Ashes series, taking just three wickets at a cost of 300 runs and, as a result, was dropped after the third Test.

After the Ashes series Gillespie took 40 wickets for South Australia during the 2005/06 Pura Cup Season. He was the 4th highest wicket taker in the competition, with an average (21.27) far below the other leading wicket takers. His best figures came against Victoria where he took 7-35. These performances saw him make a return to the Australian Test side against Bangladesh after injury problems to the first choice attack. Gillespie took 11 wickets in two Tests but has not featured in the 2006/07 Ashes Series.

Batting

He has occasionally proven his worth with the bat, with a Test high of 201* and an average of 18.73. Gillespie is the only player with a career batting average of fewer than 20 to reach 200 runs in an innings. Despite not regularly hitting huge scores, he is a difficult batsman to dismiss and often 'stays in' and allows his partner time to hit a big score. In the field, he has shown occasional agility and is a good 'boundary rider'.

He has a one-day international high of 44* and he averages 12.56 in one-day internationals with an impressive strike rate of 78.53.

In the second Test match against Bangladesh (Chittagong/ April 2006), Jason Gillespie (201*) set the world record for the highest individual score by a night watchman. This was Gillespie's maiden first-class century. Gillespie also shared a 4th wicket partnership of 320 runs with Michael Hussey. Gillespie was awarded man-of-the-match honours for his double-century in the first innings, and he was also named man of the series for his efforts that included eight wickets, at an average of 11.25, across the two Tests.

Injuries

He played only 52 from a possible 92 Tests following his debut to his axing during the 2005 Ashes series. This was due to a number of injuries including foot injuries, stress fractures in the back, hip twinges, side-strains, shoulders, torn calves, aching hamstrings, groin complaints and a broken right leg. Despite these problems, he is still both accurate and economical.

In Australia's 1999 tour of Sri Lanka, he was involved in a sickening outfield collision when both he and Steve Waugh were running to take a catch, resulting in Waugh's nose and Gillespie's right leg being broken (the catch was not taken).

English County Cricket

He has signed a contract to represent Yorkshire CCC in 2007.

2005/2006 Pura Cup Season

In his 9 matches for South Australia Gillespie took 40 wickets, at an average of 21.27. His best figures came against Victoria where he took 7-35.

Merchandising

• Gillespie's clothing label, DZ9, was released in October 2005.

• Gillespie's bat sponsor Sommers is expected to finalise a name for the limited-edition blade (possibly DZ201) at a meeting on the April 20, 2006.

Trivia

• Gillespie is nicknamed Dizzy after the jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie.

• In 2002, he was named by Wisden as one of the Cricketers of the Year.

• He is one of only five players to take more than 250 wickets for Australia, the others being Shane Warne (709), Glenn McGrath (563), Dennis Lillee (355) & Craig McDermott (291).

• Gillespie was named to Inside Cricket's "best Australian Test XI from 1995 to 2005" team by a panel of ten experts, including Dennis Lillee and Greg and Ian Chappell. (1 Matthew Hayden, 2 Mark Taylor (C), 3 Ricky Ponting, 4 Mark Waugh, 5 Steve Waugh, 6 Adam Gilchrist, 7 Ian Healy (W), 8 Shane Warne, 9 Jason Gillespie, 10 Craig McDermott, 11 Glenn McGrath)

• Gillespie was also named to both the World XI Test Team Team of the Year (2004) and the World XI ODI of the Year (2004) at the inaugural ICC Awards dinner, joining fellow Australians Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist and Shane Warne in the Test team, and Gilchrist and Ponting in the one-day team.

• He is a supporter of the South Sydney Rabbitohs National Rugby League team and the Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League.

Double-Century Related

• On his 31st birthday, Jason Gillespie (201*) took the world record for the highest individual score by a night-watchman (prev: 125 by Mark Boucher, South Africa v Zimbabwe, Harare 1999/00).

• Gillespie became the first Australian nightwatchman to score a century in almost 30 years. Tony Mann was the last, against India at the WACA Ground in 1977.

• His 201* innings is the only time, at any level of cricket, that Jason Gillespie has reached three figures batting.[1]

• Gillespie became the 35th Test cricketer (and 6th Australian) to convert a maiden century into a double-century.[2]

• Only Wasim Akram, Ian Botham, and Jason Gillespie have scored a double-century in Test cricket and taken 250+ wickets.

• Jason Gillespie and Michael Hussey's 320 runs partnership is the 8th highest for the 4th wicket and the 47th highest Test partnership ever. For Australian partnerships alone, it is the 3rd highest for the 4th wicket and 11th highest ever.

• Jason Gillespie was not selected for Australia in their next Test Match after he scored 201*. (Effectively he was dropped.)

• Matthew Hayden jokingly vowed, after Jason Gillespie reached his century in the second Test against Bangladesh, that if it was extended into a double-century, he (Hayden) would do a lap of the oval, naked. Upon hearing this, Gillespie said that in that case he (Gillespie) would join in, too. At this time, the two do not yet seem to have fulfilled the terms of the wager due to them being in a Muslim country.[3]

• Gillespie is also well known for his long mullet hairstyle which he wore at a number of periods during his career.

• Highest score by an Australian against Bangladesh

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