David Willey hopes Big Bash experience will benefit England

David Willey believes his time with the Perth Scorchers will help England when he returns to limited overs international cricket.

Willey made the breakthrough into England's ODI and T20 squads last summer after some fine displays with bat and ball for Northamptonshire.

The 25-year-old has since signed a three-year contract with county champions Yorkshire and was one of the star performers as England secured ODI and T20 series wins over Pakistan last month.

With England back in five-day mode in South Africa, Willey has capitalised on the chance to play in the Big Bash in Australia ahead of returning to the national side for the limited overs series against the Proteas and subsequent T20 World Cup in India in the spring.

"I was offered the opportunity to come over to Australia and play in the Big Bash and told the ECB and Andrew Strauss, who said it would be the best preparation for the World Cup next year," Willey told Sky Sports News HQ.

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"He thought it was a no-brainer for me to come and get some experience in different conditions in one of the best T20 competitions in the world. 

"It runs through to the end of January which takes me through with competitive cricket leading into early next year which, if selected for the South Africa tour and World Cup in India, would be good preparation.

"If there is a conflict, then international cricket takes priority, but for the guys who aren't involved in the Test squad, when there are opportunities to play in these competitions around the world it can only be beneficial to improve our game and gain experience and take that into international cricket."

The Big Bash action begins at 8.30am on Thursday on Sky Sports 1 with a Sydney derby as Thunder, whose line-up includes Jacques Kallis and Shane Watson, clash with last year's losing finalists Sixers, who count Michael Lumb and Brad Haddin in their ranks.