Michael Yardy

Michael Yardy Biography

Known for his unusual batting technique, Michael Yardy is a former English cricketer.

He used to play the ODI and the T20I format for the country. He was a left-handed batsman and a slow left arm bowler.

Yardy was born on 27 November 1980 in Pembury, Kent, England.

He had a characteristic round armed bowling action that made it difficult for the batsmen to pick him up at times.

Background

Michael made his debut for the Sussex in a game against Hertfordshire in May 1999.

The initial days of his domestic career were not very good. He played a game against Sri Lanka A but had little success.

He played some games during the year but it was only in 2001 that he became a regular member in the side. In 2002, he played ten games, but in the next two years, he could manage to play only seven.

It was in 2005 that he came back strongly and had a fantastic first class season.

Debut

Yardy first played for the national side in a T20I game against Pakistan on August 28, 2006 at the County Ground. He had a fair game as he scored 24 runs from just 14 balls and also bowled three overs and picked up a wicket giving away just 20 runs.

Ten days later, he made his ODI debut against Pakistan only at Trent Bridge. He had a great game as he picked up three important wickets for his side and gave away just 24 runs in his spell of 10 overs.

He did not get to bat as the top order batsmen did the job for his side.

Rise to Glory

Yardy was never a great but he was always an effective player for the team. Recognizing his potential, the board appointed him as the captain of the England A team on their tour to Bangladesh.

He also managed to deserve a place in the squad for the 2010 T20 World Cup in West Indies and proved to be effective and was ever present in the team during the tournament.

Low Points

Yardy’s illness had a direct impact on his cricketing career. He first suffered from depression when he was at the peak of his international career.

He had to pull out of the last ODI against Pakistan in 2010. While he was in Colombo, his international career came to an abrupt halt.

He came back but in a game against Middlesex at Hove, he had to leave the pitch in the middle of the match as he felt that he was in danger on the field.

He stepped down from the captaincy of the Sussex in two formats of the game.

Club Career

During his entire career, he played for the Sussex. He was also appointed their captain in 2009 and in the very first season as captain, he led them to victory in the Twenty20 Cup and the Pro 40 titles. Over the years, he proved to be a real asset for the team.

Retirement

Yardy was a part of the English squad in the 2011 World Cup but had to fly back home before the quarter finals due to depression.

He somehow managed to keep his domestic career alive.

But in 2015, he announced that he would retire from cricket at the end of the season.