Dizzy excited for '90s reunion act

As a dyed-in-the-wool (if no longer in the mane) Metallica devotee, Jason Gillespie can speak with nostalgic authority about the excitement that accompanies the prospect of the band getting back together.

Gillespie and his metal mates eagerly await the imminent release of Metallica’s first studio album in seven years, just as they celebrate the inclusion of the veteran heavy hitters among the headline acts at this year’s Lollapalooza music festival to be held at Chicago’s Grant Park.

The former Australia fast bowler, who unashamedly treasured Metallica’s eponymously titled 1991 album, feels a similar sense of anticipation about his upcoming return to South Australia as coach of the Adelaide Strikers that will reunite him with a host of his former teammates.

Following this week’s appointment of Jamie Siddons as coach of the West End Redbacks for the next three years and last year’s installation of former Australia coach Tim Nielsen as the SA Cricket Association’s High Performance Manager, the coming summer looms as something of an ‘old boys’ reunion.

Under Siddons’ captaincy, the trio were key members of the SA team that secured the State’s sole Sheffield Shield title of the past 35 years when they held out an Adam Gilchrist-inspired Western Australia to save the 1995-96 final in Adelaide.

Two decades on, and with another member of that successful XI (Darren Lehmann) now holding the reins as coach of Australia’s men’s team, Gillespie is champing at the bit to get back to Adelaide once this season’s commitments with Yorkshire are completed and get stuck into his job with the Strikers.

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“I’m excited about the chance to go back to spend a couple of months in Adelaide with the Strikers and hopefully I can work closely with Jamie (Siddons) and learn a few things from him and obviously from Tim Nielsen who’s been a wonderful coach over many years,” Gillespie told cricket.com.au.

“There’s two guys that I’ve played quite a bit of cricket with early in my career and who are very experienced coaches.

“I’m still very early in my coaching career and I’ll be a bit of a cricket tragic, I’ll be all over them getting advice and seeing how they do things and that will be fantastic for me.

“Cricket ‘nuffies’ as they’re known in Australia are called cricket ‘badgers’ over here in the UK, and I’m certainly one of them so the opportunity to spend some time with those lads and pick their brains will be absolutely invaluable for me personally.”

Siddons was similarly effusive about reuniting with his former strike bowler, with whom he last worked when he was assistant coach for John Buchanan’s Australia team and Gillespie was in the final days of his Test career.

While Siddons will hold no formal role with the Strikers, he is looking to work hand-in-glove with the BBL coach to maximise the benefits that the new-look, old favourites can hopefully bring to the success-starved Adelaide Oval.

Although he is mindful not to reveal all his secrets to those Strikers players who aren’t part of the Redbacks’ set-up.

“I’ve got my hands full with the Redbacks and that’s my focus,” Siddons said this week when asked if he will have any direct involvement with Gillespie and the Strikers.

“I can’t wait to work with and around ‘Dizzy’ (Gillespie) when he gets here, but I’ll be focusing on four-day and one-day cricket and trying to hide some secrets from our players who are not going to play with the Strikers.”

Gillespie said he had maintained regular contact with Nielsen since his Strikers appointment was announced last month, and it’s understood the pair are close to finalising a playing squad for the 2015-16 KFC T20 Big Bash League.

The Strikers have already confirmed a core of the squad – including West Indian power hitter Kieron Pollard – that finished the top of the ladder at the end of last year’s regular season but fell at the penultimate hurdle remains intact.

Although the move of former skipper and South Africa off-spinner Johan Botha to the Sydney Sixers means the Strikers are able to sign a replacement overseas player.

But Gillespie and Nielsen have been liaising to fill the remaining places, and it’s understood a front-line bowler looms large in their planning.

“I’ve been in constant contact with Tim (Nielsen) over the past few weeks and there’s one overseas place available so we’re hoping to have that sorted very soon,” Gillespie said.

“We may have an opportunity for one or two other spots for a local player – I want to, as much as possible, promote local talent and give them an opportunity to show what they can do.

“It’s always a fine balance when it comes to being involved in teams because if you’ve got the opportunity to pick up a quality player who you think will add value to your club and your squad, you would certainly pursue those.

“But at the same time you want to have the programs in place to be able to develop your own players as much as possible, so finding that right balance is absolutely crucial.”