Versatile Yardy in no rush to gatecrash England Test side
ALL-ROUNDER Michael Yardy admits he is not ready to break into the Test arena despite his promising one-day form.
The Sussex captain has established himself as a key member of England’s limited-overs set-up, helping the Three Lions to World Twenty20 success and a 50-over series victory over Australia so far this summer.
But unlike fellow one-day specialists Eoin Morgan and Craig Kieswetter, Yardy has no plans to push for a place in the five-day fold.
“Test cricket is hugely different,” explains the 29-year-old, who now has 15 ODIs under his belt. “The goal at the moment is to continue to hold down my place in the England side and make myself the best one-day cricketer I can be.
“All I can do is keep playing well for Sussex in four-day cricket and if my chance comes along, then great. First though, I’ve been handed a role as a one-day player for England, whether it be in the Twenty20 or 50-over set-up, and I aim to fulfil that.”
Standing in his way of a Test place, however, is Graeme Swann, who has cemented his role as England’s premier spinner in all forms.
“Obviously if it’s a choice between Graeme and I they [the selectors] will go with him,” Yardy accepts. “He’s one of the best bowlers in the world right now and he’s a great guy to have around in the dressing room.
“I do not see Graeme as competition, in fact if anything we complement each other when we play in the same side, and I can learn a lot off him – he’s a class act.”
Yardy, however, is being moulded into one of a number of England all-rounders, and it’s his role as a middle-order batsman which has also been key to staying in the side.
“My batting has improved a lot,” says Yardy, who claimed his first ODI half-century against Australia at the Oval last month. “It’s important I contribute with the bat and I need to keep improving because ours is a very strong batting line-up. Ajmal Shahzad batted at No11 against Bangladesh last week and he scored 800 first-class runs last season.”
Michael Yardy was supporting Asda Kwik Cricket which involves 130,000 children from 12,000 primary schools. Asda sponsor the competition to promote healthy and active lifestyle for children. Check out www.asda.com/kwikcricket for more detail.