The Wicked Cricket Column

How can Brighton and Lewis make arrangements to have supporters in, but Sussex can’t?
Seems to be a separate set of rules for soccer and cricket !

Age is in your head. This 44 year-old got a fifer against Sussex a few weeks back. To repeat, bring back Kirtley!

(Stevens) will become the oldest County Championship player since Eddie Hemmings finished with Sussex at 46 in 1995

Below is a link from The Cricketer Magazine where you can read an interview with Jason Gillespie by journo Jacob Phillips. The article prompts the question: What is Dizzy's legacy at Sussex? What has he achieved and has the side improved under his leadership?

In the first year, Gillespie brought his T20 experience to the South Coast and took the Club to the Final of the T20 competition. The Championship also saw the Club end 4th - bitter-sweet given the unusual situation that the top 3 and not 2 would be promoted to Division 1 and right up until the last month, Sussex were in a strong position to achieve this. In hindsight, his first year was also his most successful season.



We are told by Ben Brown that Gillespie has positively changed the Club culture. “In terms of our culture at Sussex, I think we were in a difficult place when Dizzy took over,” explains Brown. “I’ve never had a coach who is so upbeat all the time and certainly so supportive of players and so positive around the team. He has got some very strong values which I felt very much in line with.”

Then there are the opportunities that JG has afforded the younger cricketers. One success has been the progression of Ollie Robinson. Gillespie says, “I’ve always felt as a coach a big part of my job is making sure players know they’re being backed and I believe in them. That’s a big part of my job. For me it’s about giving players opportunities to play and learn lessons themselves." It is easy to be cynical and suggest that the pandemic has stopped overseas players from coming over to join county teams and therefore, the opportunities for club youngsters are now abundant. 

JG continues, “I am a big believer that players only learn by playing first-class cricket. You have to get into the game, learn on the job and then be really honest with your assessment of how you’ve gone and identify how you can be more effective." Adding, "There’s a lot of expectation around the club and they want to see us performing really well. Supporters come at you talking about who’s playing. A lot of that is white noise, it’s nonsense. We know what we are doing and we trust our players and we back them to do their jobs.”

But apart from Ollie who else has improved under Gillespie's guidance? Does a better club culture naturally lead to a better side? JG comments, “I’m a big one for empowering players to drive the standards. You learn really quickly which players have the desire and the want to get better and improve and the players who are going to add value to that." Is this a reason why Wells has been dropped this season? Perhaps, he lacks desire? He continues, “We have a lot of fine players at Sussex. They just need opportunities. Sometimes players' numbers may not look brilliant on paper, but statistics only tell part of the story."

Two other players to have improved under Gillespie are Phil Salt and George Garton. The bowler has already shown this season what a fine all-rounder prospect he is becoming. His major vulnerability though is a bowling action that can easily lead to injury. Meanwhile, Salt is close to playing for England and this season after promising performances in the Australian Big Bash, is showing supporters just what a fine and exciting batsman he's becoming.

“I just love county cricket. I’m going to miss it," continues JG. "I love how everyone embraces it. It’s a much better product than even the ECB gives it credit for. It doesn’t get enough love." The problem with this interview is, to repeat, what has Gillespie actually done to push Sussex forward during the last three years? Of course, the pandemic has distorted 2020 where improvement has been replaced by survival. But apart from his first season as Coach, hasn't the club gone sideways?

JG concludes, "I hope it’s not the last time I’m in county cricket but it’s time for me to get home. I have the opportunity to coach my own state.” The next step, perhaps, towards becoming head coach of Australia? 

www.thecricketer.com/Topics/banner/jason_gillespie_sussex_interview_county_cricket_australia.html

Am I the only one to notice the lack of comment from Dizzy about the performances of the T20 squad?

I ask, why is this?

I think flashblade is probably right. T20 games can turn on one incident so being too upbeat is dangerous. One bad over in both games could have meant that we would be sitting at the bottom of the table rather than the top. I think you judge T20 performances on a series of 5 or 6 games because that tends to iron out the moments of good fortune/bad luck. Still, let's all keep quiet about what has happened so far; we don't want to damage things.  

A "seasoned" piece from treasured writer Paul Edwards. Like a magician he will sneak in a Sussex CCC tidbit whether article or
feature or both.

Enjoy.

www.thecricketer.com/Topics/features/youth_glad_season_life_paul_edwards_bob_willis_trophy.html

Congratulations to the Sussex CCC Museum for becoming the inaugural winner of the Howard Milton Award. The accolade recognises individuals or groups who have contributed strongly to cricket writing and research. This award, a collaboration between The Cricket Society and the British Society of Sports History, will be given out annually to a person or persons who have made an outstanding and/or unsung contribution to cricket scholarship.

The award seeks to recognise good cricket writing and research whether of an ‘academic’ or ‘popular’ nature. Winners are decided on the recommendations of a panel drawn from officers of both organisations. For the full announcement click here: sussexcricketmuseum.org/sussex-cricket-museum-given-award-for-cricket-scholarship



Who is Howard Milton? He is a long-standing Kent supporter and has written two books on Kent Cricketers and Cricket Grounds of Kent published by 'The Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians'. In 1994 he was awarded Statistician of the Year.