Former Australian spinner Bruce Yardley passed away on Wednesday aged 71 after a long battle with cancer.

Bruce Yardley started his cricket career as a fast-bowler before realising that spin is the best option for him. He played 33 Tests and seven one-day internationals for Australia between 1978 and 1983 and also enjoyed a long career at Western Australia. He finished his career with 126 Tests wickets. One of the most memorable performances of his career came during Sydney Test against the mighty West Indies in 1982 when he picked up ten wickets including 7 for 98 in the second innings.

In fact the summer of the 1981-82 season was Yardley’s most memorable one with the Australian team. He finished the season with 38 wickets in six home Tests against Pakistan and the West Indies. The performances had helped him earn the prestigious International Cricketer of the Year.

Yadley also made a mark with his willow. He scored four Test half-centuries with a top score of 74 and held the record for Australia’s quickest half-century for 38 years after reaching the milestone from 29 balls against the West Indies in 1978. David Warner broke that record in January 2017. In his first-class career, Yardley picked up 344 wickets in 105 games.

In 1983, Bruce Yardley fell out of favour with the Australian selectors despite taking seven wickets against Sri Lanka in his final Test. He retired from the game in 1985 although he made a comeback to play for Western Australia in 1989-90.

After ending his playing career, Yardley took to coaching. After coaching some local teams, he coached Sri Lanka from 1996 to 1998.