David Miller will not be returning to play for Yorkshire Vikings in the Friends Life t20 competition this summer.

It had been hoped that the big-hitting South African batsman would play five or six games for Andrew Gale’s side, but he has informed the club that he needs a period of rest in advance of his country’s one-day and t20 tour of Sri Lanka.

Coach Jason Gillespie has stressed that Yorkshire fully appreciated Miller’s position and that relations between the club and player remained very good.

“We are a little bit disappointed that David’s not going to join us but we fully understand the reasoning behind the decision,” he said.

“He’s been away from home for about three months when you include his commitments with South Africa and the Indian Premier League.

“We initially thought that we would have him for the two-week window before his country’s tour to Sri Lanka, but the feeling now is that he needs a break before that tough trip.

“We had a good chat with Dave – he loves the club and we’re in contact with him every week, even through the off-season – and he was completely honest with me. He said he very much wanted to come back but he really needed a break.

“Martyn Moxon and I had a good long chat about it and we agreed that if the lad is feeling like that, we’d just make the call and tell him that’s okay. He’s a guy we highly respect and value, so the hope remains that we can get him next year or the year after. We’d love him to be part of Yorkshire’s future.

“But the situation now is that we are without an overseas player for this year’s t20 competition.”

However, Gillespie added that while officials had made enquiries about the availability of other overseas players, Yorkshire were not desperate to sign a replacement for the batsman who smashed four fifties in 11 innings for the White Rose in last year’s short-form competition.

“We will explore opportunities and if someone can commit themselves for the whole time that is something we will consider,” he said. “But I don’t want to get any random player.

“I want to get someone of quality, I want to get guys who are game-changers, and if that doesn’t happen we are quite comfortable that we’ve got the players to get the job done.”