Gillespie joins Aussie coaching ranks

Adelaide Strikers coach Jason Gillespie has been named as Justin Langer's assistant for Australia's three Twenty20 internationals against Sri Lanka in February.

Langer was named head coach of the T20 side earlier this month, with the matches on February 17, 19 and 22 to clash with Australia's Test tour of India.

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Cricket Australia today announced that Gillespie, Langer's former Test teammate, will also work with the Australian T20 side for the matches in Melbourne, Geelong and Adelaide.

With regular head coach Darren Lehmann and his assistants set to be in India ahead of the first Test in Pune on February 23, Langer and Gillespie have been called upon to take over a side that will also be without leading players like Steve Smith, David Warner, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.

"I’m just buzzing to get this role – it really is an exciting opportunity – and I’m humbled to be thought of by Cricket Australia in this regard," Gillespie said in a statement.

"For me, the chance to be working with Justin Langer is terrific. Of course he’s a friend and a former team-mate, but he’s also someone who’s had success in this form of the game (with two KFC BBL titles with the Perth Scorchers) and if I can learn anything from him and his approach then that would be great.

"With some players likely to be away in India it really will be a shop window for players from the BBL to showcase their skills, and to show the selectors and the Australian public what they can do. It’s a chance for those selectors to see how, in the case of any new players, they deal with international cricket."

Gillespie, who quit as Yorkshire coach earlier this year, had been sounded out by Lehmann in May to take on the role of Australia's full-time bowling coach, a job that eventually went to David Saker.

The 41-year-old, who played 71 Tests and 97 one-day internationals for Australia, had also been linked to the T20 head coaching role before it was given to Langer.

In an exclusive column for cricket.com.au in November, Gillespie threw his hat in the ring for the T20 job and said he was open to discussing any future roles with Cricket Australia.

"Now that I'm back in Australia full time after stepping down as First Team Coach at Yorkshire, I'm often asked what I plan to do," Gillespie wrote at the time, before Langer was unveiled as T20 coach.

"The Australian T20 side will need an interim coach for the February series against Sri Lanka, and if I was asked it's definitely something I would think about.

"My great mate Ricky Ponting is in the mix for that and he would be a great coup for Cricket Australia if he got that job.

"There's also been mention of a selection job. I'm very happy to have a chat to Cricket Australia about these however they are not things I have particularly thought about.

"My main focus is the KFC Big Bash League with the Adelaide Strikers this summer and I'm really excited about that.

"After that we will have to wait and see. I'm just enjoying some down time with my family – something we have not had much of in a long while!"

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