After a bitterly cold first day at Edgbaston, where 38 overs were lost to bad light and rain, and Yorkshire battled to 177 for four by the close, their head coach Jason Gillespie could be forgiven for pining for the warmer climes of his home country.
But while the Australian has no complaints over the weather in England, and spoke glowingly of his side’s performance against their expected title rivals, Gillespie insisted any talk of him becoming his national side’s next bowling coach remains moot, as he is yet to be contacted about the role.
Darren Lehmann, Australia’s head coach, said on Friday his former teammate tops a list of potential targets for the job, which was vacated when Craig McDermott stepped down last month. Gillespie, who found himself similarly linked with the role of England head coach last summer, insists he remains happy in his current job but chose not to rule anything out definitively.
“I haven’t had any contact (from Cricket Australia), so there’s nothing to report to be honest,” the former fast bowler said after stumps. “If anything changes, I’ll let you know. At this point, I am just focusing on my role here. You don’t rule out any opportunities in the future. It’s whether you feel like you can make a difference in any job that becomes available.”
Gillespie, who insisted family considerations will come first in any possible decision, instead preferred to focus on his side’s travails during their staccato opening exchanges here, in which Gary Ballance and Jack Leaning kept the home side at bay with a stand of 92 for the fifth wicket in 28.3 overs that prevented an earlier top-order wobble from being terminal.
“There is still a lot to do at Yorkshire and I solely want to concentrate on helping this team win cricket matches. You don’t rule out opportunities in the future. It’s whether you feel like you can make a difference in any job that comes available.
“It’s well documented that I’ve got four kids under the age of 10. My eldest daughter, she’s 21, has just had a little girl. So family is important, and it should be an important consideration.
“Any job that comes up, certainly, I’ve always said family comes first. If any opportunities come up in the future, that would certainly be a consideration.”