Cricket World Cup - England hit by Yardy withdrawal ~ cityadda

CC Cricket World Cup 2011 quarter-final: Sri Lanka v England
Venue: Colombo Date: Saturday, 26 March (0900 GMT)
Coverage: Highlights on BBC Two (see listings), Red Button & online at 2200 GMT (UK only); live Test Match Special commentary (BBC 5 live sports extra, Radio 4 LW and online); text commentary online and mobiles; live on Sky Sports

Yardy has played 28 one-day internationals for England

England all-rounder Michael Yardy has flown home from the World Cup because he is suffering from depression.

"Leaving at this stage of the World Cup campaign was a very difficult decision to make," the 30-year-old said.

"But I felt it was the only sensible option for me and I wanted to be honest about the reason behind that decision."

Tim Bresnan, meanwhile, has a calf problem but team management hope he will be fit for Sunday's quarter-final against Sri Lanka in Colombo.

The Yorkshireman, 26, tore the same muscle in his right leg during the tour to Australia and returned home early, missing five matches in the one-day international series that followed the Ashes Tests.

He is England's leading seam bowler at the World Cup, having taken nine wickets including a career-best 5-48 in the tied group game with India , and the results of a scan on his leg will be revealed on Thursday.

But news of Yardy's departure will come as an even greater shock to England supporters who are hoping to see the team lift the World Cup for the first time.

An England and Wales Cricket Board statement said the decision had been taken "in close consultation" with the England medical team and that he had been managing the illness "for a prolonged period of time".

England have applied to the International Cricket Council Technical Committee for permission to call up an as yet unnamed replacement.

They have already had to make three changes to their original squad with Eoin Morgan, Chris Tremlett and Jade Dernbach drafted in for Kevin Pietersen, Stuart Broad and Ajmal Shahzad, who are all injured.

Paul Collingwood, meanwhile, faces knee surgery to deal with some floating cartilage but the ECB say surgery will be delayed until after the World Cup.

Sussex captain Yardy, who has played 28 one-day internationals but sat out the last two World Cup games against Bangladesh and West Indies, is the second England player to return home from a tour in similar circumstances in recent years.

Opening batsman Marcus Trescothick quit the 2006-07 Ashes tour to Australia because of what was described at the time as a "stress-related illness" and announced his retirement from international cricket in 2008.

Trescothick, the current captain of county club Somerset, later wrote an award-winning autobiography in which he revealed the full extent of his battle against depression.

Mark Robinson, Sussex's Professional Cricket Manager, said they were "proud" and very supportive of Yardy's decision to "go public" about why he was leaving the World Cup.

Robinson added: "He's always been a person admired for his utmost honesty and integrity, and his courage in dealing with this issue emphasises that. As captain and one of our leading players, we'll give him all the time and all the support necessary so that he can continue to lead this club forward.

"As a club we request that everybody, including both supporters and the media, respects his privacy as he looks to spend some time with his family, having been away for five months.

"In due course, Michael will make a statement and in the meantime the club, its members and supporters wish him a speedy recovery."

In Yardy's absence, England will face co-hosts Sri Lanka on Saturday, with a semi-final against South Africa or New Zealand to follow three days later, also in Colombo, if they are successful. The World Cup final takes place in Mumbai on 2 April.

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Broadcast Wednesday 25 November 2009