Jason Gillespie is brimming with enthusiasm as he ponders the unique summer of cricket ahead from the perspective of an Australian legend with a foot in the English camp.
'A World Cup and an Ashes in the same year? If you're English or Australian it doesn't get any better than that,' says the former fast bowler with the greatest of all Australian teams and now head coach at Sussex.
'It's just brilliant. I feel very privileged as an Aussie working in the English game because I love county cricket. This summer will be cricket overload. I can't get enough of it and if I'm thinking that, imagine what the supporters are thinking. There's a buzz of excitement.'
Jason Gillespie is brimming with enthusiasm ahead of a unique summer of cricket
It is a typical display of exuberance from a man who took 259 Test wickets and made a double hundred as a nightwatchman before moving on to coach with huge success both in his native land and here, notably leading Yorkshire to two county titles.
The character known universally as Dizzy is talking all things cricket with Sportsmail, including those twin World Cup and Ashes peaks, a life in coaching that took him to the brink of the England job four years ago and, away from the game, his passion for veganism.
But first let us talk about a particularly hot prospect under his wing at Hove. A certain Jofra Archer.
The character known universally as Dizzy is talking all things cricket with Sportsmail
'Wow!' is Gillespie's one-word reaction when the name of England's new all-rounder is brought up. 'He's great isn't he? I don't know if he's going to play in the World Cup but I think the selectors did the right thing in not putting him in their provisional squad.
'They knew they could always add him so this way they can have a look and get to know him. They will have a good idea pretty quickly of how good he is.
'My personal view? I don't think we're going to see much of him at Sussex from now on. The kid's a match-winner. He changes games. It's not his fault they've changed the qualification rules. He's like a kid in a candy store. He just loves playing cricket.'
Then comes an admonishment for those within the England camp who appear to have been slow to recognise the value of the newcomer in their midst.
'I really felt for Jofra when he said he didn't want to tread on anyone's toes,' says Gillespie, who will be writing exclusively for Sportsmail this summer. 'He should not have to feel like that when he joins up with England.
'I know he's got a lot of support from his team-mates at Sussex. Luke Wright put out a message of support on social media and that was a really good thing to do. All the boys feel the same.
'Jof is a good kid and all he's done is made his life here, he wants to play cricket and be the best he can be. He's a fantastic bowler.
'Don't underestimate his batting either. He works hard at it. He just wants to show people what he can do and that's exciting.'
Gillespie has helped nurture Jofra Archer at Sussex and is a huge fan of the new England star
It is a display of the man-management for which Gillespie is famed. It is at the heart of the coaching methods that are now paying dividends in his second season on the south coast.
'I love the psychology of how players tick and how they go about things,' he says. 'I keep coaching pretty simple. 'I'm not necessarily a great technical coach and I've never really coached specific skills because I've been a head coach my whole career.
'I feel I'm a good man manager and I can read the mood of a room. I've got empathy with what players go through and I'm a big believer in clear, concise messages and everybody moving in the same direction. Enjoyment is a big part of how I go about things.'
Those skills made him one of the favourites to become head coach of England when team director Andrew Strauss was looking to replace Peter Moores in the aftermath of the last chastening World Cup.
For a while it seemed everyone in the media was convinced Gillespie was the chosen one before Strauss gave the job to Trevor Bayliss. Not that Gillespie ever believed the hype.
Gillespie was in the frame to take charge of the England team ahead of Trevor Bayliss in 2015
'I never thought I was really close to the England job,' he insists. 'Andrew Strauss was very good throughout the process.
'He told me I was one of a few names he had in mind. He was clear in saying he was chatting to a number of people about the role and would keep me
