Sanz said:
Richard - Gillespie is a great bowler but I have to admit he isn't as good as he was in 2000-2001. I saw him bowl on the flat tracks in India, he was deadly, Yesterday I saw him at Perth and sad to say I was not impressed. Even during the test series, he was good but hardly as good as 2000/01. I also think he has lost couple of yards in speed.
That said, I think he still is a world class bowler and I would pick him above Akhtar,Lee etc. But If it came to a fully fit Bond and Fully fit Gillespie - I will pick Bond any day.
I'm rather surprised at that.
Gillespie hasn't bowled especially well in this VB Series, but he's still been easily the second-best (after :O Williams) of the Australians (Hogg doesn't really count). OK, Bond has been phenominal in ODIs most of his career but I'd still say they're about equally matched.
Gillespie's ODI record has been consistently superb since the 1999 Aiwa Cup. 4.03(?)-an-over and an average of just over 21. Bond's exploits aren't quite as good nor quite as extensive.
As for Test-matches, Bond has had one series of note (in West Indies) and Gillespie has had many. All right, he's been a little flattered in recent months (England, West Indies and Bangladesh, who didn't exactly have well-performing batting-line-ups) but he is a fantastic seam and swing bowler. Bond may be so too, but as of yet we don't know that he is.
As for the Test-series, Gillespie may have been perceived to have bowled very well in 2000\01 but the fact is he averaged a nothing-special 30 for the series. In the recent series in Australia he didn't do very well either, but was still comfortably his team's best.
He has probably lost 1 or 2 mph in pace (about a third of a "yard") in the last year or two. No more. He was always up and around close to 145 kph, and is now more like 135-40.
Gillespie isn't the force he used to be. Based on what I have seen of Bond, Yes he is better than Jason Gillespie roght now.
