BEN Coad will look to keep knocking in the birdies and eagles if he is given the nod to start Yorkshire's NatWest T20 Blast campaign later this week.

Seamer Coad is line to form part of a youthful bowling attack when the Vikings take on Leicestershire at Headingley under lights on Friday, with James Wainman of Farsley also under consideration.

Coad, 22, played in the last two North Group games last season, taking two wickets apiece against Northamptonshire and Birmingham Bears.

He has since impressed the coaches in training through the winter and on pre-season in Dubai, with him being the leading performer in the squad's competitive Yorker Golf training exercise.

Yorkshire coach Jason Gillespie said: "He's the clubhouse leader in that. He's been doing it well. He's been getting his skills right, practices hard and I'm really pleased for him."

Gillespie and one-day skipper Alex Lees plan to increasingly utilise bowlers who are not Championship regulars through this summer's Blast.

Unfortunately, however, they will have to do without injured duo Matthew Fisher and David Willey during the early stages of the competition.

"Those guys will certainly come into consideration because they did really well in Dubai," said Gillespie of Coad and Wainman.

"They have given us some good food for thought in terms of what the make-up of our side is.

"Fish is probably one of the first names on the teamsheet in the short forms, so for him to be missing the early part of the T20, it allows an opportunity for someone else.

"Guys like Will Rhodes will be playing; Tim Bresnan as well. We've got a lot of bowlers, which is good for us.

"We've also got a couple of guys who have played a lot of cricket, so there may be the opportunity to rest a couple as well."

Coad has also played seven List A matches for Yorkshire since debuting in 2013, while left-armer Wainman has only played one List A fixture – against Sri Lanka A in 2014.

Wainman, 23, took the new ball and claimed 2-25 in the final of the Emirates Airline T20 Trophy against Lancashire in Dubai in late March. During that trip, Fisher explained more about the Yorker Golf exercise in which Coad has excelled.

He said: "You get 18 balls for the 18 holes, then we have a hurdle in front of the stumps. If you go under the hurdle and hit the stumps, that's an eagle.

"If you go under the hurdle and miss the stumps, that's a birdie. If it hits the hurdle, that's a par. If you go over the hurdle but it's within the stump height, that's a bogey. A double bogey is wider than the hurdle or higher than the stumps.

"It's very helpful. It's not the be all and end all but it's great to practice your skills. It's better doing it with the competition against the lads – but it's still nothing compared to the pressure of being in front of 15,000 for a Roses match.

"Coady has been really good. He's been smashing the scores."

Yorkshire's players, afforded five days off after last week's Championship draw at Somerset, are back in training today.

Gillespie and Lees will finalise selection for their trio of warm-up matches against league opposition over the next three days, the first of which is at York's Clifton Park tonight (6.00) against a Yorkshire League North select side.