"So it's a bit surreal at the moment"
Quoted Jason Neil Gillespie after his debut cricketing century. There were even more "surreal" moments to come for this popular guy during this innings.
This is a sporting story which should be broadcast far and wide. There is a moral to it - 'Never say die!" Gillespie was a poor immitation of himself during and after the Test series in England last year and deserved to be dropped but not to cop all the flak thrown at him. There was something on his mind at the time that affected his performance, maybe we will find out what that was during the next few weeks. We shall see.
Meanwhile we should bask in the glory of the epic feat shown at Chittagong. In fact his effort here could have been telegraphed in advance. When he was called up as a stop gap replacement for the injured Michael Kasprowicz no one could have expected him to be the stalwart who would be one of the saviours of the first test at Fatullah.
In Bangladesh's first innings he bowled 27 overs with 2 for 47. He then batted with his usual dead bat and scored 26 runs. His bowling in the second Bangladesh innings was even more impressive: 11 overs with 3 for 18. He held the attack at bay with an additional 4 runs , while Ponting took the score past the requirement to win a test that Bangladesh should have won.
While he was out of the Test and One Day International events he returned to his South Australia state team and resurrected his game. He was constantly being mentioned in despatches from the media and fully deserved his recall to the main arena.
Lets finish up this blog with his quotes during and after his mammoth achievement.
"I never expected it, never," Gillespie told AAP. "Not in my wildest dreams, so it's pretty surreal, pretty bizarre actually. I came off and there was [television commentators] Wasim Akram and Harsha [Bhogle] having a chat about my batting, and they had my wagon wheel up. That was very weird."
"I've not even got a hundred in the backyard," he said. "So it's a bit surreal at the moment. I wasn't nervous because I never expected to get in that position. I was loving it."
"Someone mentioned it yesterday and I thought they were on drugs," he said. "I looked up at the dressing-room as soon as I passed [Glenn] McGrath's score, 61. He's been giving me grief about that for a while now so I was very relieved to pass that.
"Then I had Merv [Hughes], he was up there and he had 70-odd, and Flemo [Damien Fleming] 70-odd and Pistol [Paul Reiffel] so ticked them all off. I managed to even tick off Warney [Shane Warne] today, too, which was cool. The bowlers, we all love talking about our batting, and I've got a few bragging rights there now."
"He [Ponting] called me through and I was in my own little fog ... I felt pretty ordinary for a while, I still do but these things happen in cricket," said Gillespie. "It was my fault. I thought 'Shit I better do alright here'. I felt shithouse."
"It was not very easy, putting your head down and batting in the heat. I think I'm developing into an all-rounder," he said with a laugh.
"There are guys coming back. You know you've got Taity [Shaun Tait], Kasper [Michael Kasprowicz], Pigeon [Glenn McGrath] to all come back, so I'll probably slide down the greasy pole again and bide my time. I haven't really thought about it."
"I thought I was no hope".
"I never expected it in my wildest dreams, so it's pretty surreal, pretty bizarre actually," said the fast bowler, who celebrated his 31st birthday with one of the most astonishing Test knocks ever seen.
"Nothing's really changed. I suppose it will sink in over the next couple of days but I can't believe I'm talking about my batting. That's what I can't believe."
Update
Here come the accolades - Man of the match and man of the series - and this article from the Cricinfo website
'This is ridiculous, I had a bit of a laugh': Gillespie
Cricinfo staff
April 20, 2006
Jason Gillespie, who is the first nightwatchman to score a double-century, could scarcely believe his feat and said that it was like a fairytale.
"This is ridiculous," Gillespie told The Sydney Morning Herald. "I was just lucky that the shots came off and I had a bit of a laugh all the way. It's unbelievable. It's a fairytale really. Hansel and Gretel and Dizzy's double-hundred, it's one and the same. Absolute fairytale."
On reaching the landmark, Gillespie ran towards the dressing-room, bat in one hand and helmet in the other, and took a bow. He said that Michael Hussey, his partner during a 320-run partnership for the fourth wicket, kept informing him as he beat the highest scores of illustrious Australian batsmen. "He [Hussey] knew every Test player and former Test player's highest score and was ticking them off. Went past Mark Waugh [153], he told me that. Went past Michael Clarke [151], he told me that. Went past Steve Waugh [200] and Boonie [David Boon 200]."
Hussey said that he didn't want to be beaten by Gillespie and that kept him going as well. He was eventually out for 182. "I think it was a real testament to his concentration, really, to be able to bat for so long," said Hussey. "Especially since he's not a recognised batsman as such. So that was quite a bit of motivation for me to keep going as well because I didn't want to be outdone by Diz. And also Matty [Matthew] Hayden had a bit of a bet with Diz [Gillespie] as well."
Gillespie later revealed the nature of the wager Hayden had placed. "He [Hayden] reckoned he's going to do a nude run of The Oval if I got 200. I said if I got 200, I'd do a nude lap too. Not sure about that one, being in a Muslim country, I don't think it'll be perceived right, unlike anywhere else."
Gillespie was commended for his powers of concentration by John Buchanan, the coach, and Merv Hughes, the Australian selector. "Considering Jason hadn't made a hundred in any form of cricket, it was an amazing innings," said Buchanan. "For any batsman, particularly a nightwatchman, to sustain an innings of over 400 balls is something we may never see again."
"You have to be here to believe it," said Hughes. "People back home are going to wonder how he did it. But he thoroughly deserved it. He was a picture of concentration and control and like any good batsman, he knew his limitations and strengths."
© Cricinfo
This is a sporting story which should be broadcast far and wide. There is a moral to it - 'Never say die!" Gillespie was a poor immitation of himself during and after the Test series in England last year and deserved to be dropped but not to cop all the flak thrown at him. There was something on his mind at the time that affected his performance, maybe we will find out what that was during the next few weeks. We shall see.
Meanwhile we should bask in the glory of the epic feat shown at Chittagong. In fact his effort here could have been telegraphed in advance. When he was called up as a stop gap replacement for the injured Michael Kasprowicz no one could have expected him to be the stalwart who would be one of the saviours of the first test at Fatullah.
In Bangladesh's first innings he bowled 27 overs with 2 for 47. He then batted with his usual dead bat and scored 26 runs. His bowling in the second Bangladesh innings was even more impressive: 11 overs with 3 for 18. He held the attack at bay with an additional 4 runs , while Ponting took the score past the requirement to win a test that Bangladesh should have won.
While he was out of the Test and One Day International events he returned to his South Australia state team and resurrected his game. He was constantly being mentioned in despatches from the media and fully deserved his recall to the main arena.
Lets finish up this blog with his quotes during and after his mammoth achievement.
"I never expected it, never," Gillespie told AAP. "Not in my wildest dreams, so it's pretty surreal, pretty bizarre actually. I came off and there was [television commentators] Wasim Akram and Harsha [Bhogle] having a chat about my batting, and they had my wagon wheel up. That was very weird."
"I've not even got a hundred in the backyard," he said. "So it's a bit surreal at the moment. I wasn't nervous because I never expected to get in that position. I was loving it."
"Someone mentioned it yesterday and I thought they were on drugs," he said. "I looked up at the dressing-room as soon as I passed [Glenn] McGrath's score, 61. He's been giving me grief about that for a while now so I was very relieved to pass that.
"Then I had Merv [Hughes], he was up there and he had 70-odd, and Flemo [Damien Fleming] 70-odd and Pistol [Paul Reiffel] so ticked them all off. I managed to even tick off Warney [Shane Warne] today, too, which was cool. The bowlers, we all love talking about our batting, and I've got a few bragging rights there now."
"He [Ponting] called me through and I was in my own little fog ... I felt pretty ordinary for a while, I still do but these things happen in cricket," said Gillespie. "It was my fault. I thought 'Shit I better do alright here'. I felt shithouse."
"It was not very easy, putting your head down and batting in the heat. I think I'm developing into an all-rounder," he said with a laugh.
"There are guys coming back. You know you've got Taity [Shaun Tait], Kasper [Michael Kasprowicz], Pigeon [Glenn McGrath] to all come back, so I'll probably slide down the greasy pole again and bide my time. I haven't really thought about it."
"I thought I was no hope".
"I never expected it in my wildest dreams, so it's pretty surreal, pretty bizarre actually," said the fast bowler, who celebrated his 31st birthday with one of the most astonishing Test knocks ever seen.
"Nothing's really changed. I suppose it will sink in over the next couple of days but I can't believe I'm talking about my batting. That's what I can't believe."
Update
Here come the accolades - Man of the match and man of the series - and this article from the Cricinfo website
'This is ridiculous, I had a bit of a laugh': Gillespie
Cricinfo staff
April 20, 2006
Jason Gillespie, who is the first nightwatchman to score a double-century, could scarcely believe his feat and said that it was like a fairytale.
"This is ridiculous," Gillespie told The Sydney Morning Herald. "I was just lucky that the shots came off and I had a bit of a laugh all the way. It's unbelievable. It's a fairytale really. Hansel and Gretel and Dizzy's double-hundred, it's one and the same. Absolute fairytale."
On reaching the landmark, Gillespie ran towards the dressing-room, bat in one hand and helmet in the other, and took a bow. He said that Michael Hussey, his partner during a 320-run partnership for the fourth wicket, kept informing him as he beat the highest scores of illustrious Australian batsmen. "He [Hussey] knew every Test player and former Test player's highest score and was ticking them off. Went past Mark Waugh [153], he told me that. Went past Michael Clarke [151], he told me that. Went past Steve Waugh [200] and Boonie [David Boon 200]."
Hussey said that he didn't want to be beaten by Gillespie and that kept him going as well. He was eventually out for 182. "I think it was a real testament to his concentration, really, to be able to bat for so long," said Hussey. "Especially since he's not a recognised batsman as such. So that was quite a bit of motivation for me to keep going as well because I didn't want to be outdone by Diz. And also Matty [Matthew] Hayden had a bit of a bet with Diz [Gillespie] as well."
Gillespie later revealed the nature of the wager Hayden had placed. "He [Hayden] reckoned he's going to do a nude run of The Oval if I got 200. I said if I got 200, I'd do a nude lap too. Not sure about that one, being in a Muslim country, I don't think it'll be perceived right, unlike anywhere else."
Gillespie was commended for his powers of concentration by John Buchanan, the coach, and Merv Hughes, the Australian selector. "Considering Jason hadn't made a hundred in any form of cricket, it was an amazing innings," said Buchanan. "For any batsman, particularly a nightwatchman, to sustain an innings of over 400 balls is something we may never see again."
"You have to be here to believe it," said Hughes. "People back home are going to wonder how he did it. But he thoroughly deserved it. He was a picture of concentration and control and like any good batsman, he knew his limitations and strengths."
© Cricinfo
posted by Chuck a wobbly at 7:10 AM
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