Photo Credit: South Australian Cricket Association
Jason Gillespie has recommitted as West End Redbacks Head Coach for a further two years.
An experienced coach and esteemed figure in world cricket, Gillespie will guide South Australia until at least the end of the 2024-25 summer.
The former paceman, who claimed 259 wickets in 71 Tests for Australia, was appointed Redbacks Head Coach in mid-2020 and is currently in his third season in the role.
South Australia is second in the Marsh One-Day Cup standings with a 3-2 record and sealed an impressive 208-run victory over Tasmania in Hobart on Saturday.
Gillespie has a long and successful career with the South Australian Cricket Association, first as a player and then coach, leading the Adelaide Strikers since 2015 and guiding the franchise to its maiden KFC Big Bash Championship in BBL|07.
Gillespie has mentored the squad through the uncertainty of COVID-affected seasons and afforded opportunities to a new wave of talent including the likes of Henry Hunt, Brendan Doggett, Nathan McAndrew, Ben Manenti, Nathan McSweeney, Thomas Kelly, Daniel Drew and Jordan Buckingham.
Gillespie said he was thrilled to extend his stint as Redbacks coach.
“I’ve enjoyed watching our squad grow together and am really excited to sign on for a further two summers,” Gillespie said.
“It’s very rewarding as a coach to see players learn, work hard and succeed and I believe the future is very bright for this group.
“The squad is united in what they want to achieve and I’m committed to helping them reach those goals as a team and also individually.”
SACA General Manager of High Performance Tim Nielsen was delighted to extend Gillespie’s stint in the role.
“We’re really happy to back Dizzy in with the hard work and results we’re starting to see with this squad,” Nielsen said.
“He’s calm, very experienced and knows how to get the best of the players. I’m confident we’ll only see continued improvement across the board with Dizzy at the helm over the next few years.”
The next West End Redbacks fixture is a Sheffield Shield match against Western Australia at Adelaide Oval, starting on Friday, February 10 2023.
