JASON GILLESPIE has described former team-mate Richard Dawson’s arrival at Headingley as Yorkshire’s new second-team coach as the perfect appointment.

Former Ashes rivals Gillespie and Dawson played together for the White Rose in 2006 before the latter moved to Northamptonshire the following year and then Gloucestershire, where he finished his playing career and then took up coaching.

Dawson was interviewed last week for the job, and Yorkshire believe they have appointed one of English cricket’s brightest young coaching talents to their backroom staff.

“We believe Daws is going to complement us perfectly,” admitted first-team coach Gillespie.

“I’ve known Daws for a long time, and he’s a really good man. We’re really excited as a club to have Daws on board.

His coaching is on the up, and we just believe he will really work well with our support staff and players.

“I think Daws’s biggest strength is that he’s going to challenge players and his fellow members of the support staff, which is really important.

What he will bring is a real knowledge of our sport.

“He’s got his background in spin bowling, but he’s done a lot of work with seam bowlers and batsmen in his various roles so far. He knows our club inside out. He was a former captain of Yorkshire.

“I think our players will be very excited to work with someone of his calibre.”

Although Dawson will work primarily with the second team, he will also be working with the first team, particularly in one-day cricket, which was something Paul Farbrace did regularly before leaving for Sri Lanka.

“Daws has had some experience coaching at junior level with England, at under 17s and under 19s, he’s also done some work at Gloucester. He’s been one-day coach there in 40-over cricket and T20, setting up gameplans and researching opposition,” continued Gillespie.

“I think the experience he’s had at county level will be fantastic for us.”

With Yorkshire’s strong reputation for producing young players, a number of people have described the second- team coach’s role as one of the top jobs in county cricket, something which was reflected in the number of applicants.

And Gillespie added: “The second-team role is a challenging one because you have players at all different stages of their careers.

“To be able to bring them all together as one unit to play a positive brand of cricket means it’s an exciting role.”