Captain Paul Collingwood has singled out Mike Yardy’s contribution in England’s run to the Twenty20 World Cup final.

The Sussex skipper and team-mate Luke Wright could make history tomorrow as England attempt to win their first major one-day tournament against Australia in Barbados.

Yardy played in three Twenty20 internationals in 2006-07 but the 29-year-old then spent three years in the international wilderness before his domestic performances in the shortest form of the game alerted England coach Andy Flower last summer when he led Sussex Sharks to the Twenty20 Cup.

Yardy has formed a great partnership with off-spinner Graeme Swann. Between them they have taken 13 wickets while Yardy is conceding just six runs an over – the second best economy rate in the tournament behind New Zealand’s Daniel Vettori of any slow bowler whose side have reached the Super 8s stage.

Collingwood described Yardy and England’s new opening partnership of Michael Lumb and Craig Kieswetter as “finishing pieces in the jigsaw.”

He said: “Sometimes they are the finishing pieces of a jigsaw. We had some very good players in the team already but this is what we needed, a spark at the top of the order and another very good spin bowler.

“Everybody saw their selections as a bit of a gamble but we chose them on potential and we knew exactly what they could do."

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