He was kept on in the team for the third Test, taking only two wickets; he was called upon to open Australia's first innings and made 29. A Kapil Dev yorker broke his foot in the second innings, ruling him out for the fourth Test. He missed three games but returned for the fifth test, Kim Hughes saying the cricketer was "a must" for the team. Yardley responded to his captain's faith by scoring 61 off 70 balls in Australia's first innings and taking 4–91.