Sussex star Yardy granted benefit year

The 32-year-old all-rounder grew up in Hastings and has played a part in Sussex cricket for almost two decades, having come up through the ranks of the county age group squads.

The former William Parker Sports College student first appeared for Sussex in list A cricket in 1999 and made his first-class debut a season later.

He was part of the Sussex squad that won the County Championship in 2003, the first time the county had been victorious in its 164-year history.

Yardy cemented his place in the side during the 2004 season and earned his first international recognition in 2005 with England A before making his full debuts for England in both one-day international and Twenty20 cricket in 2006.

His left arm spin, coupled with his batting, made him a key figure in England’s World Twenty20 triumph in the Caribbean in 2010.

Yardy helped Sussex to the Championship and C&G Trophy double in 2006, and another Championship title in 2007. He captained the side between 2009 and 2012, winning the Twenty20 Cup and the NatWest Pro40 in his first year at the helm. Yardy also skippered Sussex back to Division One of the Championship in 2010.

‘Yards’ has played 167 first-class matches for Sussex, scoring over 9,000 runs, while his 166 list A games for the county have yielded over 3,000 runs and more than 100 wickets. He has now played 84 Twenty20 matches for Sussex and played over 40 times for his country in one-day cricket.