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Oz's Gillespie to coach county

London - Former Australian fast bowler Jason Gillespie is to take over as coach of Yorkshire from next season, the struggling English county announced on Tuesday.

Gillespie, 36, played for the county in 2006 and 2007 and has enjoyed a varied coaching career since retiring as a player, including spells with Mid West Rhinos in Zimbabwe, Australia "A" and IPL franchise Kings XI Punjab.

He will work alongside Yorkshire captain Andrew Gale under director of cricket Martyn Moxon in a revamped coaching set-up.

Yorkshire, the most successful English county of all-time with 30 Championship titles to their credit, were relegated from the First Division of the four-day first-class competition last season.

That led the cash-strapped county to break up its existing coaching team, with former England all-rounder Craig White leaving to pursue a career in umpiring.

Gillespie took 259 wickets in 71 Tests for an all-conquering Australia side between 1996 and 2006 and is expected to work particularly closely with the county's fast bowlers.

Yorkshire didn't sign an overseas player last season, largely due to financial constraints, but recruited another former player - South Africa's Jacques Rudolph - midway through in an unsuccessful bid to avoid the drop.

Meanwhile, Australia batsman Phil Jaques will return to Headingley as Yorkshire's overseas player for the next two seasons.

Left-hander Jaques is no longer a member of the Australia set-up but the 32-year-old is a proven performer at county level.

He played 24 first-class fixtures for Yorkshire in 2004 and 2005, scoring 2 477 runs at an average 61.92, and was also prolific during spells with Northamptonshire and Worcestershire.

Former England batsman Moxon, who will cede day-to-day control of the first team to Gillespie when he arrives in March, said: "I received good reports from Australia about Jason's coaching career so far.

"He has a vast playing experience, played in one of the best teams there has ever been and he's talking from a position of strength as far as the bowling coaching goes.

"I'm delighted he's joining us and he's got experience of the club.

"I'm sure he's going to do a fantastic job."

Gillespie, in a Yorkshire statement, said: "To be able to go back there in a coaching capacity is a fantastic opportunity. When opportunities like being first team coach at Yorkshire come up you don't turn them down.

"The one thing I'll be bringing to Yorkshire is a bit of fun and enjoyment, but making sure our preparation is spot on and leaving no stone unturned."

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