Gillespie gets call to Ashes summit

By JMB
September 15 2006

YORKSHIRE'S Australian fast bowler Jason Gillespie has been called-up for a pre-Ashes training camp and will miss one County Championship match and two one-day games. Gillespie will be absent from August 20-31.

Gillespie will miss the Championship match against Middlesex at Scarborough, plus the Pro40 games against Worcestershire at Headingley Carnegie and against Surrey at The Oval.

Yorkshire hope he will be back for the Pro40 contest against Kent at Scarborough on September 3, after which he will remain at the club for the rest of the season.
Gillespie's hopes of playing in the Ashes hang in the balance and he will not be drawn on a possible call-up.

It is a stance he has maintained since losing his place after the third Ashes Test last summer and despite being recalled to Test duty against Bangladesh in April, when he stole the headlines with an unbeaten 201 in Chittagong.
Gillespie goes into the second innings of the current Championship fixture against Warwickshire at Scarborough needing one more wicket for 500 in first-class cricket and he has bowled well enough in recent days to suggest he is close to his finest form.

He took season's-best figures of 6-37 to help Yorkshire to victory over Durham at Chester-le-Street last week and bagged 4-52 in the first innings against Warwickshire, bowling accurately and with plenty of aggression.

"I'm not even thinking about the Ashes, just concentrating on Yorkshire," said Gillespie, who has taken 259 Test wickets at 26.13. "I feel as though I've been bowling well all season and now one or two nicks are starting to go my way. It's disappointing to be leaving Yorkshire for a few days because I want to play as often as possible, but I'm looking forward to taking a lot more wickets for the county before the season is out."