Jason Gillespie's first century was a Test double hundred as night-watchman
Sent in late to protect the batting order, fast bowler Jason Gillespie stayed and stayed, finishing on 201 not out against Bangladesh on his 31st birthday. It was his first first-class century, a world record for a night-watchman, and, because of injury, the last international match he ever played.
Born on 19 April 1975, Gillespie descends through his father from the Kamilaroi people, and his mother has Greek heritage. He became the first acknowledged Aboriginal man to play Test cricket for Australia; the first Indigenous Test cricketer of either sex was Faith Thomas in 1958. After a 1995 scholarship at the national cricket academy, he debuted in one-day internationals against Sri Lanka in Colombo in August 1996 and in Tests against the West Indies at Sydney that November.
He rarely ran through a side on his own, never taking more than 20 wickets in a series, but he was a dependable partner for Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne. His Test haul reached 259 wickets in 71 matches at 26.13. The ICC put him in both its Test and ODI teams of the year for 2004, the same year he and McGrath added 114 for the last wicket against New Zealand at the Gabba, each reaching a first international fifty. Injuries hurt him repeatedly. In Sri Lanka in 1999 he collided with Steve Waugh chasing a catch, breaking his leg and Waugh's nose, and he played only 52 of a possible 92 Tests before being dropped during the 2005 Ashes.
The record innings came at Chittagong on 19 April 2006, including a stand of 320 with Michael Hussey. He also took eight wickets in that series. After retiring in Australia in 2008 he briefly joined the unofficial Indian Cricket League.
Coaching took him to Zimbabwe in 2010, then to Yorkshire, whom he steered from Division Two to championships in 2014 and 2015. Later jobs included Sussex, South Australia and, from April 2024, Pakistan's Test team, a post he resigned that December. A vegan, he has publicly criticised dairy farming and leather balls. A statue of him stands at the Adelaide Oval.
Source: Jason Gillespie
