Jason Gillespie, the Yorkshire head coach, announced on Monday (August 29) that will end his association with the County club at the end of the 2016 domestic season. Understandably, Liam Plunkett was saddened with the decision, while he was full of praise for Gillespie when he fronted the media ahead of the third One-Day International (ODI) against Pakistan.
The England pacer moved to Yorkshire in 2012 and his career has blossomed from there on, and as a result of that he was called back in the England Test squad in 2014. Crediting Gillespie for his success, Plunkett said: “One of reasons I moved to Yorkshire is that he was a bowler himself and went through his ups and downs.
“One of the first net sessions I had with him was in the winter and I hit the side netting. I thought that was the end of my career at Yorkshire right then but he said don’t worry about it, it is November and he pretty much said he just wanted me to run up and bowl fast,” he said. “At that time, he was what I needed. I was a bit raw, and struggling with my action. I thought it was all about technical. But it wasn’t – it was just about backing myself.”
Plunkett acknowledged that Gillespie helped him regain his confidence back and is ‘gutted’ that he has to leave. “Whenever you have a bad spell he is always there patting you on the back and saying no worries mate you can change the game next spell. I take my hat off to him, I owe him quite a bit,” he pointed out.
“I’m obviously gutted – because he was good for me, and good for the team. It’s a tough decision that he’s made. But I want to thank him – he’s been great for me. He’s brought me back to playing for England. So I wish him the best, and look forward to catching up when I get back to Yorkshire,” Plunkett said.
“I hope we can make it three this year in the Championship. That would be a nice note to leave on. I’m sure there will be quite a few people trying to get that job,” Plunkett mentioned.
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