Jason Gillespie Lays Down Law to Liam Plunkett

Jason Gillespie gave England a taste of the discipline they can expect should he become their coach when he dropped Liam Plunkett from Yorkshire's team to face Hampshire at Headingley on Sunday for missing a training session and photo call.

Former Australia fast bowler Gillespie, in charge at English county champions Yorkshire for four years, has been touted as a candidate to become England's next full-time coach after Peter Moores was sacked on Saturday.

And the 40-year-old demonstrated he had no problem disciplining senior players when he dropped England paceman Plunkett from the White Rose XI.

Plunkett, 30, returned from England's tour of the West Indies last week but failed to turn up for his scheduled club commitments on Saturday.

"I am very disappointed with Liam," said Gillespie in a Yorkshire statement. "He knows that he has crossed the line and he will pay the price of missing out on selection for this game.

"Liam has apologised and we have accepted his apology. He is disappointed in himself for letting his team-mates down. Hopefully he will learn from this.

"Players are fully aware that we will not tolerate breaches of ill-discipline. Our internal code of conduct is sacrosanct and fundamental to driving us on as a successful club."

Gillespie was given the job of Yorkshire coach by Colin Graves, the incoming chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board.

That relationship and his success with Yorkshire, has led to speculation about a possible role with England, who named former captain Andrew Strauss as their new director of cricket on Saturday, for Gillespie.

Former England captain Nasser Hussain endorsed Gillespie's credentials by saying Saturday: "You just have to look at the England set-up to see how many good Yorkshire players (including Joe Root and Gary Ballance) are coming through, and I think Jason takes a lot of credit for that."

But whether Gillespie or fellow Australian Justin Langer, who has also been linked with the England coach's role, would take up an offer from the ECB is far from certain.

Both Gillespie and Langer have young families and are thought to be reluctant to spend most of the year travelling on the international circuit, with England, because they have a busy home schedule in the northern hemisphere summer as well as touring during the southern hemisphere season, on the road more often than their major rivals.

Assistant coach Paul Farbrace has been put in charge of England for their upcoming two-Test series at home to New Zealand.