JASON GILLESPIE is backing Australian World Cup winner Glenn Maxwell to light up Yorkshire’s forthcoming NatWest T20 Blast campaign despite suffering a loss of form at the Indian Premier League.

Maxwell is one of world cricket’s most exhilarating batting talents, yet a run of four low scores in five innings last month meant he was dropped by Kings XI Punjab for three out of their last four matches.

Gillespie, however, is convinced the 26-year-old all-rounder will excel in a Vikings shirt when he arrives later this month.

“Glenn’s going to be absolutely fine,” insisted the Yorkshire coach. “He’s going to brain it over here with us. The one advantage of Kings XI performing so poorly is that they won’t make the semis, so he’ll be with us earlier.

“What you’ve got to understand about the IPL is that they’ve got so many overseas players, but they can only pick a certain number because they have to play a set number of Indians.

“Whenever there’s a loss or two in the IPL, there’s all sorts of changes. If a guy misses out a couple of times, all of a sudden, it’s a case of ‘we’ve got to pick someone else’.

"That’s not happening here. Maxi’s here throughout T20, he’s going to perform well, and he’s going to fit into the dressing room beautifully.

“It’s going to be fantastic for our supporters to come and watch how our international star goes about his work. It’s going to be great!”

Yorkshire step up their preparations for their opening North Division match against Derbyshire under the Headingley lights a week on Friday when they travel to Abbeydale Park in Sheffield to take on a South Yorkshire Select XI tonight (5.30pm).

It is the first of five matches against league opposition either side of the Derbyshire clash, with other fixtures in Marton tomorrow and then Bradford, Harrogate and York on May 18, 19 and 20.

Former Essex leg-spinner and trialist Tom Craddock is in the squad for tonight and tomorrow having last played county cricket for the Chelmsford side last June.

Gillespie is looking at the Huddersfield-born 25-year-old, who has taken 41 wickets in 18 first-class matches, in the hope he can provide more back-up to Adil Rashid.

Gillespie, meanwhile, has confirmed that he has passed up the opportunity to apply for the job of South Australia’s coach, the state he represented during his playing career.

He recently took on the role of Adelaide Strikers coach in the Big Bash Twenty20 League for the English winter, and the South Australian Cricket Association were hopeful of luring him home on a full-time basis.

Gillespie has already been linked with taking on the England coach’s job should Peter Moores get sacked.

Yesterday he tweeted: “For clarity, I was asked by SACA if I was going to apply for the role of coaching the state team. After careful consideration, I’ve decided against applying.

“I’m excited about the roles I have with Yorkshire and the Adelaide Strikers.”