Born Midland, WA
15 September, 1947 – 27 March, 2019
Bruce Yardley is Midland, Western Australian and Australian through and through – a man truly loyal to his teams.
He started with Midland-Guildford as a fast-medium bowler and it was in this role that he made his first-class debut in 1966-67.
But in a State team renowned for its fast bowlers, he struggled. Indeed, he played just once more, in 1971, before there was a dramatic change in his career.
In pursuit of the competitive edge as a pace bowler, Yardley developed a clever slow ball that spun and bounced, causing problems for even the best batsmen in club cricket.
So he changed to spin bowling, gaining selection for WA in 1973. There was no instant success, but Yardley stuck to his guns and won through.
Spinning the ball off his middle, rather than index finger – and with the help of WA and Australian wicketkeeper Rod Marsh – he made Test selection in 1977-78 and developed into a front-line spinner.
Yardley was bitterly disappointed when he was not selected for Australia’s 1981 tour of England but responded in 1981-82, claiming 38 wickets in six Tests and being named International Cricketer of the Year.
Yardley was overlooked for another tour of England in 1983 and retired. A comeback in 1989-90 amounted to just four appearances for WA.
Yardley is remembered for his dedication to improvement, the slicing swathe of his bat, the India-rubber thrust of his arm in the gully and his pleading appeals.
In 33 appearances for Australia, Yardley scored 978 runs and took 126 wickets. For WA he made 1,578 runs and took 173 wickets in 58 matches.
He was subsequently appointed coach of the Sri Lankan national team, a position he held from 1997 to 1998.