Jason Gillespie: A love letter to county cricket

I’ve long been an advocate of county cricket. I think it’s just great cricket, and the thing I love is there’s a bit of quirkiness to it. It’s actually blown me away over the years just how loved and supported it is. 

To give you an example, while I was Yorkshire coach I would make a point of giving half an hour of my time during each four-day game to go and chat with my late mate Dave Callaghan, who was the voice of BBC Yorkshire cricket, and engage with our supporters.

I’d send him a message at the start of play to say, “I can sneak up for half an hour after lunch”, and then he’d put a message out to listeners asking for questions. He would get emails and texts through, and where some of them were coming from would absolutely blow my mind. We had people in Alaska, I remember a guy was on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico listening to his beloved Yorkshire, Iceland, down in Patagonia. It shows just how global county cricket is.

 You only have to look at the live-streaming figures this year. I can’t speak for other counties, but Sussex were getting some fantastic numbers. I know some counties have been doing live-streaming for the last few years but I think during the pandemic they’ve seen real potential for that going forward, which is really exciting.

There’s criticism of county cricket that it’s only for senior citizens and retirees, but I think the live-streaming figures we’re seeing contradict that assumption. It shows the game is thriving.

The Championship structure

I’ve always been a massive fan of a two-tiered County Championship and I was initially quite resistant to the idea of three divisions. But having been involved this year with the Bob Willis Trophy, I’ve kind of been converted. Three conferences could give a bit more scope for longer-term planning, which I think in the long run would help the counties.

I wouldn’t advocate regionalised conferences, though. You wouldn’t want the same six counties playing against each other every season in four-day cricket. Players need to learn how to adjust their game to different conditions, against different opposition. 

I like the idea of a grand final at Lord’s, as we saw with Essex and Somerset this summer. But if they do go down that path, they might want to think about tweaking the rule whereby the team who makes the highest score in the first innings wins in the event of a draw. 

I think the county which finishes with the most points in the group stage deserves to have some sort of advantage going into that game, because they’ve earned that right. Like in Australia’s Sheffield Shield, I would say that if the final is drawn the team which performed better in the group stage should be crowned champions.

Vive la Blast!

I love the Blast, I really do. I think it’s an absolutely ripping tournament. I look at the IPL now and I’m seeing quite a few English players who’ve played a lot in the Blast getting opportunities. I’m seeing an increasing number of English players getting opportunities in the Big Bash and in the other T20 tournaments around the world. So the Blast must be doing something right.

Putting my Adelaide Strikers head coach’s cap on, I’ve got analysts that work in county cricket feeding us information about players who are performing well in the Blast, and I’m know I’m not the only coach in the Big Bash doing that. We signed Sussex’s Phil Salt for the Strikers in the last Big Bash, and he had one of the highest strike-rates in the tournament’s history. In terms of developing talent, the Blast is working.

The Hundred

But don’t think that my love for the Blast makes me anti The Hundred. I’m actually really looking forward to seeing how it goes. I understand the criticism of it from some quarters and I respect that, but I’ve always been one to try things. 

Is it going to be quite the right vehicle? Well, we won’t know until it’s given a go and been reviewed to see if it’s something that should be permanently part of the landscape.

It’ll be interesting to see how well-supported it’s going to be. There’s a lot of chatter that county supporters aren’t going to follow it, but I think the reality is that if the best players are playing then people are going to watch it and see what all the hype is about.

But what you’ve got to understand first and foremost – and this is what gets forgotten – is that the players are buzzing about it. They are so excited. 
Of course, if there’s money to be had then players will be open to things, but the players in the UK and the international lads who are coming over are thrilled to be part of something new and exciting. The Hundred dominated conversations among players last year.

The 18-county model

I can understand why people might have concerns that this is the first step towards moving away from the 18-county system. I only hope that’s not the intention of the ECB.

Over the years we’ve had world wars, the Spanish Flu, depressions, recessions, all sorts of other issues, and all the counties survived. And they’ll get through this latest issue that we’re all dealing with at the moment.

The counties are more resilient than a lot of people give them credit for. There’s so much history, so much tradition. Once you lose tradition it’s very hard to get it back. I’d hate to see any counties fall by the wayside. I think that would be an absolute tragedy.

The role of county cricket

This is the big question: what is county cricket for? You ask county supporters and their thoughts are with the needs of their local team. The ECB and fans who predominantly follow international cricket will see it differently. 

Undoubtedly, though, part of the remit of county cricket is to help players get selected for England, and to strengthen the national side, so the domestic game needs to be able to prepare players for the top level. That comes down to the surfaces, to put in bluntly. If the pitches are right, then the cream will rise to the top. 

I look around county cricket and there are a lot of very skilful fast bowlers. The cupboard is far from bare. Outside of the established England seamers you have the likes of the Overton twins, and Ollie Robinson, who I worked with at Sussex. And there are plenty more coming through around the country.

The absolute key, in my opinion, is the communication between the England management and the individual counties, to work together to do what’s best for the player. Because if a county knows they’ve got one of their top players back for two weeks, naturally they want to utilise them as much as is practically possible. But England are probably thinking, ‘You know what, this lad has bowled plenty of overs, he’s played a Test match, maybe he needs a week off’.

That communication has improved in my time in county cricket, without a doubt, but it’s a difficult balancing act.

The one-day dilemma

The ECB made the decision a few years ago to revert from 40 overs to 50 in the domestic one-day competition, in order to align with international cricket, and I completely understand that. At the time I tended to agree, but I’ve changed my tune a little bit now.

I think there’s a role for 40-over cricket in England, and the reason I say that is because players have never been more adaptable in the history of our game than they are now. They’re used to playing so many formats and I’m not sure the fact that it’s different to what is played in international cricket is as big an issue as it’s made out to be. 

I remember playing for Glamorgan in 2008 when it was a 40-over competition and people at the club said it was brilliant for making some money. It fits much more easily into a day out for the family, and the players enjoy it as a format. I think the ECB should be open to it.

It’s farewell not goodbye

I won’t be thinking about returning to county cricket for a while but looking down the track it’s something I’d certainly be open to. I just love county cricket, everything about it. I love interacting with the fans, even if I’ve copped a bit of stick from Sussex supporters this year! But that’s alright, it shows me the passion that people have for their county.

I’ll miss the players and coaches who I’ve worked with, and also going up and sitting in the BBC commentary box with the various commentators.

I’ve had a lot of fun and I do hope to do it again one day.



Jason Gillespie was speaking to Jo Harman