Jason Gillespie has thrown his support behind Joe Mennie to make his Test debut against South Africa at the WACA on Thursday. 

Mennie was labelled a ‘bolter’ and a ‘surprise’ when he was picked in the squad for the three Test series. 

However, the 27-year-old has an impressive record of 158 first-class wickets at an average of 27 with that record better at the WACA with 31 wickets from six matches at 21. 

Peter Siddle, who is competing with Mennie for the final fast bowler spot, only has 12 wickets at 29 from four Tests in Perth.

‘He is very disciplined with his line-and-length, he bowls long spells, he prides himself on his fitness, he’s got a good motor so to speak,’ Gillespie said of Mennie.

‘He just keeps at you with a very disciplined line-and-length, that top-of-off-stump line-and-length.

‘Last year, 51 wickets at 21 for South Australia … looking at those numbers while it might have been surprise to the general public you can understand why the selectors felt he deserved that opportunity.’

Gillespie also said he thinks Test should trial doing away with the coin toss and would like to get back into full-time coaching in the future after he resigned from his post with Yorkshire. 

Listen live.