Bruce Yardley was an Australian cricketer who played in 33 Test matches and seven One Day Internationals between 1978 and 1983, taking 126 Test wickets.
47 Facts About Bruce Yardley
1.
2.
Bruce Yardley's technique was slightly unusual in that he bowled at near medium pace, spinning the ball off his middle finger rather than the index finger like conventional off-spinners.
3.
Bruce Yardley was an exceptional fielder in the gully region taking 31 catches in his 33 Tests including a number of spectacular efforts.
4.
Bruce Yardley was the recipient of some fine fielding being the bowler when John Dyson took his catch of the century to dismiss West Indian Sylvester Clarke.
5.
Bruce Yardley participated in Australia's first tour of Sri Lanka in 1983 and took seven wickets, including a five-wicket haul, in what proved to be his final Test.
6.
Bruce Yardley was always adamant that Murali was not a chucker.
7.
Bruce Yardley was a regular cricket commentator on TV and radio.
8.
Bruce Yardley began playing grade cricket with Midland-Guildford as a fast medium bowler.
9.
In 1971 Bruce Yardley began developing his abilities as a spin bowler and worked on his batting.
10.
Bruce Yardley scored 43 not out against the touring New Zealanders in 1974.
11.
Bruce Yardley ended up being selected for both the fifth Test against India and the tour of West Indies.
12.
Bruce Yardley enjoyed considerable success in the West Indies, forming a notable spin combination with Jim Higgs.
13.
Bruce Yardley took three wickets, but Australia lost by an innings.
14.
Bruce Yardley had an excellent game with the bat, scoring 74 off 73 runs in Australia's first innings and 47 in the second.
15.
Bruce Yardley only bowled two overs, in another Australian defeat.
16.
Bruce Yardley went wicketless in a tour game against Guyana and was injured while batting, retiring hurt for 37.
17.
Bruce Yardley recovered to play in the third Test which was an Australian victory.
18.
Bruce Yardley took three wickets and made 33 and 15 not out; the latter innings was especially crucial as it helped Australia pass the West Indies total.
19.
Bruce Yardley did find however that Bob Simpson often preferred to bowl himself rather than Yardley.
20.
Bruce Yardley took six wickets in a game against Windward Islands.
21.
Bruce Yardley encountered controversy in a tour match against Jamaica when he was twice no-balled for throwing by umpire Douglas Sang Hue.
22.
Bruce Yardley finished the series with 206 runs at 29.42 and 15 wickets at 25.13.
23.
Bruce Yardley was easily one of the team's best performers on tour and now firmly established as the first choice off spinner.
24.
Bruce Yardley had a poor game, only taking one wicket, although a first innings score at 17 did arrest an Australian collapse.
25.
Bruce Yardley's batting ensured he kept his place in the second Test over Higgs; he took four wickets.
26.
Bruce Yardley was recalled for the fifth Test, in which he took no wickets.
27.
Bruce Yardley was dropped again for Australia's next game, the first Test against Pakistan, in favour of Peter Sleep.
28.
Australia lost this game and Bruce Yardley was recalled for the next game.
29.
Bruce Yardley only took one wicket but the game resulted in a rare Australian victory.
30.
Bruce Yardley was overlooked for selection for the 1979 Cricket World Cup in favour of Graeme Porter however he was selected to tour India in 1979.
31.
Bruce Yardley was made 12th man for the first Test.
32.
Bruce Yardley was kept on in the team for the third Test, taking only two wickets; he was called upon to open Australia's first innings and made 29.
33.
Bruce Yardley missed three games but returned for the fifth test, Kim Hughes saying the cricketer was "a must" for the team.
34.
Bruce Yardley failed a fitness Test and was omitted for the sixth Test, replaced by Peter Sleep.
35.
Bruce Yardley later contracted a virus which affected his health so badly he dropped out of cricket altogether for a while to recover.
36.
Bruce Yardley was overlooked for the 1981 Ashes despite being the third highest first class wicket-taker that summer, with 47 wickets at 25.38.
37.
Bruce Yardley was not selected in Australia's one day side for the latter part of the summer.
38.
Bruce Yardley played in the first Test, scoring a pair and only taking one wicket.
39.
Bruce Yardley then fell sick with a virus and was replaced in the second by Peter Sleep.
40.
Bruce Yardley finished the series with 141 runs at 20.14 and 22 wickets at 36.07.
41.
Bruce Yardley was dropped from the Australian one day side again towards the end of the summer.
42.
Bruce Yardley then took four wickets in a game against South Australia.
43.
Bruce Yardley made a surprising comeback to First-Class cricket six-and-a-half years after his retirement when he was named in a Western Australian squad to tour India in 1989, at the age of 41.
44.
Bruce Yardley was criticised for abandoning a grade game to commentate with Channel Nine during a Test match.
45.
Bruce Yardley took ten wickets at 37.60 then retired for good.
46.
Bruce Yardley later coached Singapore at the 2001 ICC Trophy.
47.
Bruce Yardley died of cancer on 27 March 2019 in Kununurra, Western Australia, at the age of 71.