Gillespie, along with Somerset coach Jason Kerr, will team up with Lions head coach Richard Dawson to prepare for the series.

“I’m excited by the opportunity to work with Richard Dawson, his support staff and all the players,” said Gillespie, who took 259 Test wickets for Australia from 1996 to 2006. “It’s a great chance to listen and learn from different people, and I hope that I can add some value to the team from my own cricket experiences … It’s going to be great fun and a really rewarding experience.”

[caption id=”attachment_125349″ align=”alignnone” width=”800″] Jason Gillespie enjoyed a successful Test career with Australia[/caption]

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“This will be a great opportunity for our young pace bowlers to learn from one of the best in the business,” Mo Bobat, the England and Wales Cricket Board performance director, said. “Learning how to impact games with the ball in Australian conditions is a great challenge, and having Jason on hand to help our players with this is of huge value. It will no doubt stand them in good stead for future Ashes success. I’m encouraging the whole squad and management team to make the most of Jason’s time with us.”

The Lions will play three four-day matches against a Cricket Australia XI, Australia A and, finally, NSW XI. The first match, against CA XI, will begin on February 15.