Gillespie has positive influence on return of Plunkett’s ‘radar’

The former England pace bowler, who joined Yorkshire from Durham during the winter, makes his first return to Chester-le-Street today as part of Yorkshire’s 12-man Championship squad.

Having lost his way in the north-east, where he managed only 11 first-class wickets in the previous two seasons and was plagued by injury, Plunkett is adamant his radar has returned.

The 28-year-old attributes this to the benefits of a fresh start and the influence of Yorkshire’s first team coach Jason Gillespie.

“I feel in good control of my bowling for the first time in a long time,” said Plunkett, who looked in fine fettle when he took a career-best 6-33 on his Yorkshire first-class debut against Leeds-Bradford MCCU earlier this month.

“I’m also really enjoying my cricket at the moment and, although it’s a cliche, it’s amazing that when you are enjoying it everything else seems to fit into place.

“That’s the way it is right now, and a big part of that has been Jason Gillespie.

“He’s been brilliant since I came in and I feel I’m benefiting from his knowledge and guidance.”

Gillespie’s coaching philosophy does not embrace the realms of rocket science.

The former Australia fast bowler has essentially told Plunkett to do one thing – play to his strengths by bowling quick.

Yorkshire see Plunkett as something of an enforcer, a man who can touch speeds of 90mph and change the game in the blink of an eye.

Already in his short Yorkshire career he has produced match-turning spells – 3-4 against Nottinghamshire in Barbados during pre-season, followed by the splendid performance against Leeds-Bradford.

“Dizzy just wants me to run in and hit the pitch as hard as I can,” said Plunkett.

“I know that when it’s all firing I can hit the 90mph-plus mark and that’s my aim this year: to keep fit and be full of energy when I’m given the ball.

“There’s no point in me running in and bowling away-swingers at 80mph; I might as well use what I’ve got, which is my height and strength.

“I might go for the odd boundary here and there but, hopefully, I’ll take plenty of wickets.”

Although Plunkett has made an encouraging start, he accepts that the proof of the pudding will be in the eating. The feeling around Durham last year was that Yorkshire took a bigger punt in signing him than they did in recruiting Steve Harmison on loan.

However, Yorkshire think he has plenty to offer and firmly believe they can help him resurrect his career.

There is certainly no animosity from Plunkett towards Durham, where he spent 12 years and also worked with Yorkshire’s current director of cricket Martyn Moxon.

“There’s no animosity,” said Plunkett, who played nine Tests, 29 one-day internationals and one Twenty20 international during his time at the club.

“It just got to the point where I felt a bit stale there and that just happens sometimes in life and in jobs.

“I just wanted to move on, and, already knowing the likes of Martyn Moxon, I felt it was a really good opportunity to come to Yorkshire.

“I left Durham on good terms and it’s nice to go back there and hopefully get the opportunity to show how much I’ve improved and how much I’m enjoying my cricket at Yorkshire.”

Plunkett still keeps in touch with his former team-mates.

“I’ve got some good mates up there, the likes of Mitch Claydon and Ben Stokes – I get on with them all,” he said. “I’m sure I’ll be having a bite to eat with some of them during the match.”

Plunkett is part of a strong Yorkshire squad looking to bounce back from an innings defeat in their opening Championship game against Sussex.

England’s Joe Root and Tim Bresnan will make their maiden first-class outings of the season, while Yorkshire face a tough decision over which of their pace bowlers to leave out.

Plunkett, who took 1-53 from 11 overs against Sussex and scored five in each innings, believes the competition for places is healthy.

He also stressed the side are desperate to bounce back after their disappointing start.

“Obviously we got beat in our first game and it’s massively important that we put that behind us now,” he added.

“We’ve got so much cricket coming thick and fast that we need to move on as quickly as possible.

“We don’t want to keep thinking about what happened in the game against Sussex and be dragging the memory of that defeat into this game.

“It’s a fresh game, and we just have to try to make sure we play some really strong cricket session by session.

“The squad we’ve got available is really strong and there’s a lot of competition in the bowling department.

“But that’s what you need; otherwise you’d just be sat back in your chair feeling comfortable and happy.

“All of us know that we have to keep producing and keep improving because there are other guys who are bowling well.”

“It’s a nice problem for the club to have.”

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