LONDON: Former Australia fast bowler Jason Gillespie is to join the Kent coaching staff at the start of the upcoming English season, the southeast county announced on Thursday.

Gillespie, who as head coach guided Yorkshire to back-to-back titles in English cricket’s first-class County Championship in 2014 and 2015 before leaving at the end of last season to move back to Adelaide for family reasons, will join Matt Walker and the rest of the Kent squad before the start of the new season on April 7.

Kent had hoped to have another former fast bowler in Allan Donald on their staff but visa problems related to the South Africa great’s lack of formal coaching qualifications have delayed his arrival at the club’s Canterbury headquarters.

“I am really looking forward to joining Kent,” said Gillespie in a club statement. “Obviously I moved back to Adelaide for family reasons last year but the opportunity to assist Kent on a short-term basis was one that I couldn’t resist and works well with my current situation.

“I look forward to helping Matt Walker and [Kent captain] Sam Northeast over the next couple of months until I hand over the reign to Allan Donald.”

Walker added: “To get Jason on board is a brilliant coup for us. To have an experienced ex-head coach come into our ranks is great for me and the lads. His bowling expertise are like-for-like with Allan.”

Gillespie took more than 800 wickets in a 15-year professional career including 71 Tests and 97 One-day Internationals for Australia.

Published in Dawn, March 24th, 2017