JASON Gillespie is backing Australian World Cup winner Glenn Maxwell to light up Yorkshire's forthcoming NatWest T20 Blast campaign, despite him suffering a loss of form in 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 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.

"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."

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 (5.30).

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 18-20.

Former Essex leg-spinner Tom Craddock, currently Farsley's stand-in captain, is on trial with Yorkshire, and is in the squad for the matches tonight and tomorrow.

Gillespie, meanwhile, has turned down 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 after failing to beat the West Indies in the recent three-Test series.