Australian Test cricketer Bruce Yardley dies, aged 71

Test off-spinner Bruce Yardley was lauded for his indomitable will — in cricket and life — after he lost a lengthy battle with cancer on Wednesday, aged 71. He was was a full-throttled performer who bristled with an insatiable zest for the contest.

Australian Test cricketer Bruce Yardley has died aged 71 after a long battle with cancer.

Test off-spinner Bruce Yardley was lauded for his indomitable will — in cricket and life — after he lost a lengthy battle with cancer on Wednesday.

Yardley, 71, who famously won a Datsun sports car for a glittering 51-wicket home Test summer in 1981-82, was a full-throttled performer who bristled with an insatiable zest for the contest, taking 126 Test wickets at 31 in 33 matches.

Yardley was named Cricketer of the Year for his prodigious 1981/82 season and was rewarded with a $20,000 sports car.

Bruce Yardley claimed 126 wickets in a 33 match Test career for Australia.

Yardley was lauded for his indomitable will in cricket and life.

Yardley’s former Test captain Greg Chappell, speaking from the United Arab Emirates where he is on duty as a national selector, recalled a bowler he could rely on and a man who was never beaten.

“It’s a sad day — he was a good friend and a terrific fellow,’’ Chappell said.

“He had great passion for the game, the contest and life. He was wired differently from the rest of us and that was part of his appeal.

“His Test record is testament to someone who had an indomitable will and he showed the same spirit with his lengthy battle against illness.’’

An excellent bowler, Yardley was also a handy lower order batsman.

Yardley’s first class career spanned a remarkable 24 years and featured an extraordinary transformation from fast to slow bowling after a stuttering start at first class level.

In making the switch, Yardley kept his long run-up but bowled spin with an old baseball grip.

“He started life as a medium pacer but that didn’t work so he turn to spin and became a very effective international bowler,’’ Chappell said.

Yardley gives bowler Andrew Symonds some tips at the Rangiri Dambulla Stadium in 2004.

“He was never going to take no for an answer.

“As a captain I really appreciated what he brought to the team, not only his bowling but his general attitude and his humour in and around the group was terrific.

“I remember taking so many catches (11 in Tests) off him at slip where I always felt in the game.

“He gave you everything he had. He wore his heart on his sleeve but he could never be beaten down.

“He got good players out … Majid Khan and Viv Richards. He was ever reliable. Perth was a good venue for him because of its bounce.

“He bowled off spin with a leg-spinners grip. He got a lot of drift and bounce. I spoke to him a month ago and he had come to grips it was all over and he even had a great attitude to that.’’

After his playing career ended Yardley became Sri Lankan coach and was a great supporter and confidante of the game’s most prolific wicket-taker, Muttiah Muralitharan, before heading back to Perth to finish his career coaching at grade level.