Yardley was an exceptional fielder in the gully region taking 31 catches in his 33 Tests including a number of spectacular efforts.
He was also the recipient of some fine fielding being the bowler when John Dyson took his catch of the century to dismiss West Indian Sylvester Clarke.
In the early 1980s Yardley was Australia's first-choice spinner; during this period he took most of his 126 Test wickets, including a Test-best of 7/98 against the West Indies at Sydney in 1981/82.
It was for this and other eye-catching performances that he was named the 1981/1982 Benson and Hedges International Cricketer of the Year, winning a new sports car.
Despite his fine all-round cricket game he was rarely considered for One Day Internationals and in 1981 he was controversially left out of the Ashes squad which toured England (Stuart MacGill, Yardley and fellow West Australian Bruce Reid are the only three bowlers to take 100 wickets for Australia without playing a Test there).
Yardley participated in Australia's first tour of Sri Lanka in 1983 and took seven wickets, including a five-wicket haul, in what proved to be his final Test.
After retiring from competitive cricket Yardley remained involved in the sport as a coach and media commentator.
A long-time admirer and supporter of Sri Lankan record breaking off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan it was Yardley who encouraged Murali to add the doosra to his arsenal.
[1] However West Australia had fast bowlers during this period and he struggled to find a permanent spot, only playing in two games over six seasons.
[5] In 1973–74 he scored a quick fire 59 in a Gillette Cup game, helping WA beat NSW.
In 1977–78 the Australian Test team had lost a number of its leading players to World Series Cricket.
[9][10] This saw him leap into contention for the spinner's spot for the fifth Test, the other contenders being Jim Higgs and Graham Whyte.
One of four Australians playing in their first Test, he made useful scores of 22 and 26 and although he went wicketless in the first innings, took 4–134 in the second, helping bowl Australia to victory.
[12][13] Yardley enjoyed considerable success in the West Indies, forming a notable spin combination with Jim Higgs.
He took three wickets and made 33 and 15 not out; the latter innings was especially crucial as it helped Australia pass the West Indies total.
[23] Yardley encountered controversy in a tour match against Jamaica when he was twice no-balled for throwing by umpire Douglas Sang Hue.
[24][25] It marred a fine game for him as he took 5–63 in the second innings and his score of 15 with the bat helped Australia win by two wickets.
[26] In the fifth Test Yardley almost bowled Australia to victory with second innings figures of 4–35 but the game ended in a riot.
[39] He returned to the side for the second test, making 47 as nightwatchman then taking 4–107 before illness meant he was too sick to bowl.
[46] Yardley suffered a form slump at the beginning of the 1979–80 domestic season, which saw him only make 58 runs in five innings, and was dropped from the West Australian side.
[51] This form – he was the second highest wicket taker in the Sheffield Shield that season at the time – saw him recalled to the Australian side for the second test against India, replacing Shaun Graf (who had been 12th man); once again he was in the squad alongside Jim Higgs.
The spinners chosen to go to England both had less wickets than Yardley: Graeme Beard (29) and Ray Bright (22) (Higgs was also ovelooked).
He started well with 4-54 against South Australia[56] and was picked in the Australian 12 for the first Test against Pakistan over Ray Bright.
[60][61] For the third Test Yardley's figures were 7-187, earning him the man of the match award – but Australia lost the game by an innings.
[66] In the second Test he took 3-87 and 7-98, and hit 45 off 33 balls, giving Australia an outside chance of winning the game, but it ended in a draw.
[74][75] They had their revenge in the next game which Australia won; Yardley was not required to bowl in New Zealand's first innings but his 4-80 in the second helped considerably in securing an Australian victory.
[87] A thigh injury due to a Rodney Hogg delivery meant there was some doubt whether Yardley would play the fourth Test but he was fit in time.
[93] In the sole Test he took 5-88 and 2-78, bowling in conjunction with Tom Hogan, helping Australia win by an innings.
Yardley made a surprising comeback to First-Class cricket six-and-a-half years after his retirement when he was named in a Western Australian squad to tour India in 1989, at the age of 41.