YORKSHIRE are to lose their overseas fast bowler Jason Gillespie for the last 11 days in August.

He is returning to Australia to attend a training camp in preparation for the Ashes series, the Champions' Trophy and next year's World Cup in the Caribbean.

After an indifferent start to the season with Yorkshire, Gillespie has now hit top form and his 6-37 haul against Durham at Riverside on Sunday was the best return by a Yorkshire bowler for three years.

The fact that Gillespie has been told to attend the camp shows that he is very much in the frame to play a part in the Ashes series but he refused to speculate on whether he will make the squad.

"All I am concentrating on at the moment is bowling for Yorkshire and I am not thinking that far ahead," he said.

"All 25 contracted players have been instructed to attend the camp in Brisbane so I have no choice but to go but I would have preferred to keep on bowling with Yorkshire rather than get backache from a 20-hour flight."

Gillespie lost his place after three of the Ashes Tests in England last summer when he managed only three wickets for 300 runs, but was recalled by Australia for the two-match Test series in Bangladesh in early April.

His absence is a blow to Yorkshire because it means he will miss the NatWest Pro40 floodlit match with Worcestershire at Headingley on August 22 and the Pro40 visit to The Oval for the Surrey game on August 27 as well as the Championship clash with Middlesex at Scarborough which starts on August 30.