Yardy to resume playing after winning battle against depression

All rounder Michael Yardy, who returned home just before England's World Cup quarterfinal last month due to depression, is all set to play first class cricket again.

Sussex head coach Mark Robinson said club captain Yardy is on his way to winning his battle against depression.

Yardy will have net session with first-team colleagues, but is unlikely to figure in a County Championship home game against Lancashire starting on Tuesday. He could return to front line action at Hampshire next week.

"He is going well. Every week he has practised more. The first time he came in once and last week he came in three times and this week he was in every day, including Saturday, and so he is getting close," Robinson told Telegraph Sport.

"I think this week will be too early. Whether he is in a situation to play the week after we will just have to wait and see. At the moment he hasn't practised with the group but he is due to on Monday," he said.

"We would love to have him back because he is a quality player and he gives character and backbone for a team that has that anyway but he has got experience and so we miss him, of course we do," Robinson said.

"But it is just like anybody being injured. You have to give them time to heal properly and what you don't want to do is rush them back so that they have a recurrence of the injury. It's the same for Yards. So we have just got to keep talking to him and keep giving him time," he added.