Former Australia spinner Bruce Yardley dies aged 71

Bruce Yardley, the former Australian spin bowler, coach and commentator, has died in far north Western Australia after a prolonged fight with cancer at the age of 71.

Starting his cricketing life as one of many swing and seam bowlers in WA, Yardley found his niche after converting to off-breaks spun idiosyncratically from his right middle and ring fingers, first earning Test selection in the summer of 1977-78 during the World Series Cricket split that spirited away a host of Australian players to Kerry Packer's breakaway competition.

Not immediately successful for Australia, Yardley gradually improved as a bowler generating turn and bounce from a long, angled run-up and high action, while also smiting the intimidating West Indian attack for a memorable, 29-ball half century in a Test at Barbados in 1978 - a tour on which he was also called, once, for throwing in the tour match against Jamaica.

The following season he turned out for Graeme Yallop's "lambs to the slaughter" against England, and notably took the old ball for the start of the second innings of the final Test of the series at the SCG, as Yallop stretched the game's laws by opting not to take a new ball, much to the indignation of his opposite number, Mike Brearley.

Yardley returned to state ranks when Packer and the Australian Cricket Board reached a compromise ahead of the 1979-80 season, having toured India ahead of the home summer.

A season later, however, Yardley returned as the nation's No. 1 spinner, and enjoyed three summers in the national spotlight from 1980 to 1983.

The most striking of these was 1981-82, when he plucked no fewer than 38 wickets in six home Tests against Pakistan and the West Indies, winning a cult following for the quality of his bowling and the infectiousness nature of his celebrations, his fielding at gully and his pesky lower order batting. These feats earned him the crown of International Cricketer of the Year, and he also winkled out 13 New Zealand wickets in three Tests across the Tasman.

Yardley was to fall out of favour with the national selectors in 1983 despite taking seven wickets against Sri Lanka in his final Test, and retired from the game in 1985, though he returned to represent Western Australia in 1989-90.

Following the end of his playing days, Yardley coached both close to home for Midland Guildford in Perth club cricket, and further afield as the national team coach of Sri Lanka from 1996 to 1998, where he was a noted advocate for Muttiah Muralitharan and a defender of his bowling action in contrast to many of his countrymen.

He also coached and commentated internationally, before battling cancer back home in Western Australia, where he died at Kununurra District Hospital.

"Bruce was a significant figure in Australian cricket, contributing in many ways on and off the field," Cricket Australia's chief executive Kevin Roberts said. ​"As a player, it took him more than ten years of persistence playing First-Class and Premier cricket to find the art of off-spin, earning him a Test debut at the age of 30.

​"Bruce's bowling dominates his career highlights with 126 Test wickets, holding the mantle as Australia's most successful Test off-spinner before being surpassed by Nathan Lyon. He was also an excellent fielder and handy batter, holding the record for the quickest Test fifty for 38 years.

​"Off the field, Bruce had an infectious personality and was regarded as one of the best spin-bowing coaches in the world, coaching Sri Lanka and mentoring the greatest Test wicket-taker of all time, Muttiah Muralitharan. On behalf of the Board and staff at Cricket Australia, we acknowledge Bruce's outstanding contribution to Australian cricket, and our thoughts are with his family, friends and many of those in the cricketing community who knew him."

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Problems galore for Pakistan as Australia eye series win

Big Picture

Following a meek, uninspired performance that saw Australia thump Pakistan in Sharjah - that could apply to either of the two ODIs, in all honesty - a seemingly throwaway comment from Shoaib Malik came in for sustained criticism.

At the post-match presentation, Malik told Ramiz Raja that Pakistan were using this series to test their bench strength and "winning or losing doesn't make a difference". It was clumsily phrased, probably not what he meant in the manner it was interpreted, but it set off a firestorm of outrage, led by Ramiz himself, who questioned why the series was being played then. Either way, Malik and his men find themselves in the limelight squarely once again, looking to stave off a series loss in Abu Dhabi.

Pakistan may be missing several key players, but even so, their toothless bowling attack will be of concern. The quicker bowlers in particular have struggled to put Australia under pressure with the new ball, having taken just four wickets all series, conceding 566 runs.

As if these problems weren't intractable enough, Faheem Ashraf has been rested for the remainder of the series, depriving Pakistan of a valuable all-round option. Mohammad Amir's ODI drought shows no signs of abating, having taken just 5 wickets at 92.6 in the past 21 months. Mohammad Hasnain will probably be given another game, but Usman Shinwari and Junaid Khan could also be looked at as Pakistan seek to bring in changes in the fast bowling department.

Leading up to the World Cup, Australia have quietly, efficiently, suddenly, moved into top gear, peaking at just the right time to sneak into the contenders conversation. Aaron Finch and Usman Khawaja suddenly look so impregnable you wonder how David Warner can squeeze into an opening slot at present, while the both pace and spin bowlers have discomfited Pakistan enough to keep them well below par twice in a row.

Jhye Richardson's unavailability following a nasty dislocation of the shoulder opens up an opportunity for Jason Behrendorff or Kane Richardson in the remaining three ODIs. With Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood already battling to be fit ahead of the World Cup, Australia will hope to have as many fast bowling options as possible to choose from. The middle order hasn't been tested this series, but if the India games were anything to go by, they will be up for the challenge. Pakistan's job for now is to at least pose them some serious questions.

Form guide

Australia WWWWW (completed matches, most recent first)

Pakistan LLLWL

In the spotlight

Shan Masood was a shining beacon on a fairly grey Test tour to South Africa a couple of months ago, so much so he was selected for the ODI series here to see if he could be fast-tracked to the World Cup squad. It was a great opportunity to pile on the runs on gentle, docile pitches, but so far, Masood has fallen well short of doing that. He got starts in both games, scoring 40 and 19, but when the time came to kick on, he played ordinary, careless strokes to give his wicket away. His domestic limited-overs form over the past year has been exceptional, but with time running out to claim a World Cup slot, Masood needs a noteworthy display in the games that remain. If that doesn't happen in the third ODI, Masood may well find himself trying to impress in two dead rubbers, where performances will understandably carry lesser weight.

While his circumstances aren't as dire as his Pakistani counterpart Yasir Shah, Adam Zampa hasn't reaped the rewards a top spinner on Sharjah's pitches normally should. He was disciplined and consistent in the first ODI, conceding just 44 in 10 overs, but discipline and consistency is what finger spinners are usually for. The wicket-taking menace that makes legspinners so revered and frustrating in equal measure hasn't shone through in Zampa's game thus far, and 1-57 in the second ODI indicated he hasn't quite hit his straps yet. It was markedly different in the series against India, where, despite going for runs, Zampa took 11 wickets across five games. It is a trade-off any legspinner would be happy to accept, and Zampa's ODI career average of 36.42 belies the promise of his talent.

Team news

Shoaib Malik was willing to be so clear about his intentions he didn't mind copping heavy censure for it, so expect more rotation from Pakistan. Don't be surprised to see at least one of Abid Ali and Saad Ali make their debuts.

Pakistan (possible): 1 Imam-ul-Haq, 2 Shan Masood/Abid Ali, 3 Umar Akmal, 4 Haris Sohail, 5 Shoaib Malik (capt), 6 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 7 Imad Wasim, 8 Mohammad Amir 9 Yasir Shah, 10 Usman Shinwari, 11 Mohammad Hasnain

Australia will need to replace Jhye Richardson. They may opt for the safety of Pat Cummins, or give one of Jason Behrendorff or Kane Richardson some game time

Australia (possible): 1 Usman Khawaja 2 Aaron Finch (capt) 3 Peter Handscomb 4 Shaun Marsh 5 Marcus Stoinis 6 Glenn Maxwell 7 Alex Carey (wk) 8 Pat Cummins/Jason Behrendorff/Kane Richardson 9 Nathan Coulter-Nile 10 Nathan Lyon 11 Adam Zampa

Pitch and conditions

Spin is expected to play an important role in Abu Dhabi, too, with both teams likely to opt for two spinners. The weather will be overcast, but rain is unlikely to play any part.

Stats and trivia

Australia have won 10 of the last 11 ODIs they have played against Pakistan. The only loss came at the MCG in a five-match series in 2017 that Australia won 4-1.

If Usman Khawaja scores more than two runs, he will overtake Virat Kohli to become the leading ODI scorer in 2019.

Half of Yasir Shah's 20 ODI wickets have come in just two matches, a four-wicket haul against Sri Lanka and a six-wicket haul versus Zimbabwe.

'It's about believing we're good enough' - Aaron Finch

A matter of weeks ago, Australia's touring team arrived in India with quiet optimism but little else. There had been scarcely a break since a draining home summer, and in the case of Aaron Finch, Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis, all participants in the Big Bash League final, only a few snatched hours of sleep before they were on the plane to India.

Benefiting from the rare format continuity, the T20 side emerged victorious in the two-match entree, but after a pair of opening defeats in Vizag and Bangalore, the second from a position where the Australians really should have won, it appeared that both the ODI sides; time in the wilderness would be continuing.

Finch's side had other ideas however, and over the ensuing three matches something notable emerged. Suddenly, Australia looked to be balanced, confident and capable, able to win game on three different pitches and in a variety of scenarios. Ashton Turner's fireworks in Mohali were undoubtedly the highlight, taking the team coached by Justin Langer into the sort of territory that will cause even the World Cup fancies England to be worried, but there was much to savour in Ranchi and Delhi also.

Most importantly, the Australians have emerged from India with belief in their plans and their ability, whether it was in putting runs on the board beyond the opponent's reach or chasing down a mighty total in Mohali that was also kept within reach by the excellent late innings bowling of Pat Cummins. Spin bowling has also been a feature: both Adam Zampa and Nathan Lyon can expect World Cup inclusion on the strength of their displays here.

"The resilience and fight that we showed being down 0-2, it would have been easy to roll over in those small moments in the game, just let them drift away and India win the series," Finch said. "But the fight that we showed, we've had our backs against the walls for quite a while now so I'm really proud of the group.

"From 2-0 down to win 3-2 is pretty special. I've been coming here for a while now trying to win and haven't, so have a lot of Australian players, so it's a special moment. People have written us off for quite a while now. We always knew that the plans and the style that we wanted to play are all there, can win us the World Cup, win us big series against great teams and India are definitely a great team.

"It's about ourselves believing we're good enough and sticking to our game plan. We did that for four of the five games and India were too good in a close one in Nagpur. To get over the line in three of them was a great series all round."

Reflecting on how Australia had found the right balance, albeit with a combination of circumstances dating back to the bans on Steven Smith and David Warner, and then more recently an injury to Marcus Stoinis that allowed Turner his chance, Finch reflected on the fact that the selectors had looked for a better combination of heavy hitters and strike rotators, namely Peter Handscomb and Usman Khawaja.

"If you go in with all attacking players in these conditions you're going to struggle, because we know the wickets slow up and the quality of Chahal, Kuldeep, Jadeja these guys they're too good to just walk out and blast them out of the park," Finch said. "You need good batsmanship on these wickets and guys who know how to play situations."

Another man with something to prove was Cummins, who did not enjoy being bullied by England's top order in the home ODI series a little more than a year ago and has subsequently pointed out that he needed more time to hone his white-ball skills. In India, Cummins was granted the new ball for the first time in some years and used it expertly before returning to the crease later in the innings with equally strong effect.

"I've played a little bit of one-day cricket before but it felt like I hadn't really clicked in this format," Cummins said. "It felt like I bowled well in the Australian summer, so glad it keeps on clicking. Hopefully it continues for the World Cup.

"We always seem to peak around the World Cup. I wouldn't want to be a selector, it's going to be a tough job whittling the team down to 15 and there are obviously a few to come back as well. Especially the batsmen, I thought the way they played the spin let alone the quicks, to get those scores on these kind of wickets, they made it look a lot easier than they were."

As far as selection is concerned, Cummins isn't wrong. From a time a few weeks ago when Australia looked forlornly towards the returns of Smith and Warner. The success of the India tour now means that the suspended pair will have to do something many have wondered about in the 11 and a half months since they were ruled out: actually earn their places.

Turner 195.34 as Australia complete their highest chase

5- Australia successfully chased down the fifth-biggest target in ODI history, by getting 359 in this ODI. It was also the highest successful chase for Australia, beating the 334 chased down against England at SCG in 2011.

322- The previous highest target successfully chased down versus India by any side before Australia making a new record in this match. Pakistan had won chasing 322, also in Mohali, in 2007 and Sri Lanka did so at The Oval in the 2017 Champions Trophy. This is also the second-highest successful chase for any side in India. In 2013, India quickly chased down 360 versus Australia in Jaipur.

2- Instances of three batsmen making 80 or more in a successful ODI chase. The trio of Peter Handscomb (117), Usman Khawaja (91) and Ashton Turner (84*) emulated Rohit Sharma (141*), Virat Kohli (100*) and Shikhar Dhawan (95) who achieved this against Australia in Jaipur in 2013 when chasing 360.

98- Runs scored by Australia in the last 10 overs, which is after the 40th over the most by any team against India in a successful chase. The previous highest was also in Mohali in 2013 when James Faulkner did the most damage and scored 96. Before these two, Pakistan had also made 91 in the final 10 overs in 2007. The Australia batsmen got 64 runs off four overs between the 44th and 47th overs.

68- Runs scored by Turner in the last 10 overs, off 29 balls - the second-most by a batsman in a successful chase in the final 10 overs (after the 40th over). Abdul Razzaq had hit 76 off 35 against South Africa in Abu Dhabi in 2010. Faulkner got 67 off 29 in Mohali in 2013.

Most Runs By A Batsman In The Last 10 Overs In A Successful Chase

Batsman              Runs        SR               Runs required      Opposition         Venue           Year

Abdul Razzaq     76 (35)  217.14                   87                     South Africa         Abu Dhabi    2010

Ashton Turner   68 (29)  234.48                    98                       India                      Mohali        2019

James Faulkner 67 (29)  231.03                    96                       India                      Mohali        2013

Gulbadin Naib   66 (34)  194.11                     88                     Zimbabwe              Sharjah        2016

Kevin Pietersen 64 (25)  256.00                    76                     Australia                 Bristol         2005

195.34- Ashton Turner's strike rate in scoring 84 off 43 is the highest by a non-opening batsman facing a minimum of 40 balls during a successful chase. For Australia, the previous such quick innings was by Damien Martyn when scoring unbeaten 92 off 51 versus Bangladesh in Cairns in 2003.

James Pattinson set to make last-chance run for Ashes berth

The latest of many James Pattinson comebacks from injury will have the extra edge of a potential Ashes berth in the offing, when he turns out for Victoria against New South Wales in the Sheffield Shield match at Drummoyne Oval from Tuesday.

At the start of this season, Pattinson had set himself the goal of finding a place in Australia's squad to tour England later this year, six years after he first made the trip as a young tearaway in 2013. That series ended, as so many have for Pattinson, in injury and anguish, as he played in Nottingham and at Lord's before tearing a side muscle in the second innings of that Test.

His most recent Test appearance for Australia was as far back as February 2016 in New Zealand, and he has since undergone radical back surgery by Cricket Australia's standards in an attempt to get away from the treatment room and back in the middle more often.

"The big goal would be to play in the Ashes next year," Pattinson had said in November. "But I know that there's a lot of water to go under the bridge before that happens and there's a lot of games of cricket. Obviously, this is just the start of hopefully working towards that.

"It [recovery] took a bit longer I think when I started bowling. I was bowling indoors and it felt a little bit sore to start with and slowly got better. It probably took more time than I thought. Obviously, there's some frustrating mornings when you wake up and can hardly move. But I think talking to a lot of the guys who have had the surgery, Shane Bond included, he basically said just keep going, it will get better and better, which it has.

"And since I've been bowling outdoors, it's felt really good. Touch wood, I haven't had a problem with it since I've been bowling. But, like I said, it is only early days. If I'm still standing here playing at the end of the season I'll be happy."

After taking nine wickets in four Shield appearances before Christmas with Victoria, Pattinson was waylaid by a side strain while playing for Brisbane Heat during the Big Bash League. He has subsequently worked his way back to fitness, and now has Victoria's run to the Shield final to show his capabilities at 28 years of age.

"After James' setback during the BBL, we had the vision of him making a return at the back-end of the Shield season," Victoria's chairman of selectors Andrew Lynch said. "He's obviously a quality player that has the ability to win matches, and he's coming in at a crucial time as we look to secure a spot in the final later this month."

One last time? Nervous Ranchi buzzes as Dhoni comes home

When MS Dhoni was becoming the phenomenon he is now, he used to be asked where he hails from, particularly during overseas tours. Dhoni used to explain: "It's [Ranchi's] near Kolkata, near Jamshedpur, where Tata originated. It's [Jharkhand's] India's richest state in terms of minerals."

Ranchi was a hockey hotbed, and the craze for the sport grew bigger here after Jaipal Singh led the hockey team to gold at the Amsterdam Olympics in 1928. But, ironically, it needed a schoolboy football goalkeeper-turned cricketer to put an old-world small-town city into international spotlight. Now, Ranchi is Dhoni. Dhoni is Ranchi.

After he slugged Nuwan Kulasekara over the wide long-on boundary at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai to win a second World Cup, Ranchi looked like this:

Eight years later, Dhoni is gearing up for another World Cup, but there are whispers that this could be his last international match in Ranchi. Whispers on the streets. Whispers at press conferences. Whispers in airports.

Jasmeet Singh, my co-passenger on the flight from Delhi to Ranchi, was born and bred in Ranchi and is now the director of Manikaran Power Limited in Delhi. He's returning home for personal reasons, but he's thrilled to have got tickets to third ODI for his kids. But he too reckons that this could be Dhoni's last international appearance in Ranchi. He tells me Dhoni might retire soon - quite possibly after the World Cup - and might serve the army. I nod in approval. After all, Dhoni travels in camouflage pants and even dons camouflage gloves.

There are several hoardings and posters of Dhoni on the way to the south gate of the JSCA stadium. There are more signposts saying "MS Dhoni pavilion" than the JSCA stadium. He was supposed to inaugurate the pavilion named after him in the lead-up to the third ODI against Australia, but politely declined the invitation. Instead, on the eve of the match, he turns up for optional practice and keeps biffing the bowlers into that pavilion.

The net bowlers - and throwdown specialists Raghavindraa and Nuwan Seneviratne - are all being Dhoni-ed into the stand named after him over wide long-on. The groundstaff lean back on the roller and soak in the monster blows before they are shooed away by the cops.

Moments later, headline-hungry journalists tell Bhuvneshwar Kumar that this will be Dhoni's last international in his hometown. Bhuvneshwar has a smirk on his face when he asks: "How do you know that?"

When the same question is posed to Adil Hussain, the former Bihar and Central Coal Limited (CCL) captain who had played alongside Dhoni at the club for five years, he says you never know what you get from Dhoni. He had retired from Test cricket just like that. He had quit one-day captaincy just like that. Boom. Gone.

"Dhoni is fit and can keep going. He can even run faster than the younger guys in the side," Hussain tells ESPNcricinfo. "He can come back and play in Ranchi, but he can also suddenly spring a surprise and walk away."

Dhoni was only in 11th grade when Hussain spotted him carting bowlers in a schools tournament, and got him on board at CCL in 1997. Hussain gushes that Dhoni's sky-high confidence right from junior cricket made him a cut apart from the rest. He recalls a match where a teenaged Dhoni smashed then India bowlers Debasis Mohanty and T Kumaran into smithereens.

"He never really bothered about his technique and despite being a junior player, he made his plans and views clear to the senior players," Hussain said. In a Sheesh Mahal Trophy match, he took on Kumaran and Mohanty - two India bowlers - and kept hitting them away. Even back at that time before Dhoni became a star, many people came to watch him hit big sixes."

The schoolboy football goalkeeper-turned international cricket icon used to co-own Ranchi Rays in the now defunct Hockey India League. Ashley Jackson, the English midfielder was part of that side and is quite a fan of Dhoni, and the hockey players used to even try to mimic Dhoni's helicopter shot at training.

But who isn't a fan of Dhoni in Ranchi? The buzz here is palpable, and if this turns out to be his last international here, the fans deserve a blockbuster finish from their hero. Of late, Dhoni has been batting as if the weight of the world is on his shoulders. Ranchi wants that Dhoni who bats as if the world is at his feet.

The schoolboy football goalkeeper-turned international cricket icon used to co-own Ranchi Rays in the now defunct Hockey India League. Ashley Jackson, the English midfielder was part of that side and is quite a fan of Dhoni, and the hockey players used to even try to mimic Dhoni's helicopter shot at training.

But who isn't a fan of Dhoni in Ranchi? The buzz here is palpable, and if this turns out to be his last international here, the fans deserve a blockbuster finish from their hero. Of late, Dhoni has been batting as if the weight of the world is on his shoulders. Ranchi wants that Dhoni who bats as if the world is at his feet.

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