ADELAIDE: Former Australia pacer Jason Gillespie on Tuesday said that he is not interested in coaching Australia after Justin Langer’s resignation.
Cricket Australia on Saturday accepted men’s team head coach Justin Langer’s resignation. “Justin was offered a short-term extension to his current contract, which sadly he has opted not to accept,” stated an official Cricket Australia release.
“I am not putting myself up for any jobs, I’m fully committed to South Australian cricket. I’ve got a lot of work to do here and I’m absolutely loving it,” cricket.com.au quoted Gillespie as saying.
Gillespie’s name was being floated as a potential replacement for Darren Lehmann when the latter stood down as coach in the wake of the 2018 ball-tampering scandal.
“It’s nice to be thought of in that way, but it’s not something I’m entertaining. I’ve got the greatest job in the world here at South Australia, and I’ve got two wonderful roles (also with Strikers), so I’m fully committed and fully focused on those,” said Gillespie.
“We feel we’re building something here in South Australia, and I’m excited to play some small part in that,” he added.
Talking about Langer’s resignation, Gillespie said: “I think everyone’s been pretty disappointed at how it’s all played out, it’s pretty heartbreaking to see to be honest. Justin’s handled himself very well … but I think everyone is of the opinion things probably could have been handled a bit better.”
“We don’t know what’s gone on behind closed doors, whether (current) players have reached out to Justin. All I know is, in my opinion, I think he’s done a great job for Australian cricket over the last number of years,” he added.
The contract extension offered to Justin was the result of a thorough review process that evaluated many factors including future requirements of the team and the upcoming extensive schedule of fixtures. The extension was approved by the CA Board and was put to Justin last night. It included the opportunity to defend the T20 World Cup title in Australia at the end of this year.
Langer was appointed as the men’s team coach in 2018 after the Sandpaper Gate which saw David Warner, Steve Smith serving out one-year bans. Under Langer, Australia managed to win the T20 World Cup 2021 and then the Ashes. (ANI)
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