Gillespie signs for Yokshire

“At the start of last summer he was rated as one of the four best quicks in the world,” explains Yorkshire cricket director, David Byas.

“He’s a quality bowler who will give us an enormous boost and with Deon Kruis [the South African seamer] could form a lethal combination. It was clear last season what areas needed to be strengthened and Jason has impressed me as the right man in my talks with him.”

Once one of the best seamers in the world, Jason Gillespie was dropped from the Australian side after the third Ashes Test, by which time his figures were 3 for 300.

He suffered a lot of abuse from the English supporters during the tour and vented his his anger publicly on BBC Radio Five Live saying, “You can get shirty about it but it is not going to achieve a hell of a lot. I have got my way of ignoring what is going on.”

But with a promising start to the Australian domestic season, Gillespie is begining to look his old self and could have a potentially devastating effect on the County Championship in 2006.