The game of cricket has changed drastically over the past few years, so much so that it has become a game that favours the batsmen more than the bowlers. Gone are the days where 230-240 used to be competitive targets. It has now been replaced by scores of 300,350, and in England’s case, 498 to be precise. However, just because the game favors the batters does not mean that the bowlers don’t have a say in the outcome of the game. Cricket still have bowlers who like to change the script every now and then. In today’s game, especially in the death overs, where the batsmen always look to throw the kitchen sink at the bowlers, it becomes imperative that the bowlers have various tricks up his sleeve. And none of those weapons in a pace bowler’s arsenal are as potent and as lethal as the Yorker.
One of the most dangerous deliveries a bowler can bowl, a Yorker is a thing of pure beauty when it is successfully executed. Picture this: you are a pace bowler steaming in at 145 kmph, and you deliver an absolutely perfect Yorker, right at the toes of the batsman. The sight of a batsman making an absolute mockery of himself trying to somehow block that vicious toe-crusher, praying all the while that his woodwork behind is not rattled. A Yorker is not only a tool to curtail the runs, it is also a pacer’s biggest weapon to take wickets as well. However, this weapon is arguably the most difficult and complex to execute, because the margin for error is virtually non-existent. You either get your length right, or else that Yorker turns into a full-toss which in all probability be dispatched to the stands with utter disdain.
So how do you get this skill down pat?. Because for all the talk about the Yorkers being a bowler’s best friend, the sight of bowlers actually resorting to them is a rare sight. Either the bowler is not confident about delivering a perfect one, or in plain and simple terms, he just doesn’t have the skills to execute one. So what does a bowler need to do to nail those toe-crushers?. It’s not about finding the right lengths until you finally get one to stick. It’s much more nuanced and methodical than that. It all starts with where the bowler looks. A lot of the modern bowlers will have no clue or idea as to where to look, and that is where they lose before they even attempt to bowl the Yorker. The moment you find your spot, the pathway to bowling the perfect Yorker is done.
The next step after selecting a target is to make sure that your bowling arm is going towards the target you’ve pin-pointed. This technical skill is as paramount to a Yorker as setting a target. The moment you drive your arm towards the target, your ball automatically becomes more faster, more accurate and equally incisive. And that is where your bowling action becomes very integral. A bowling action that facilitates your bowling arm going right into the area where your target is goes a long way in helping a pacer execute a pin-point Yorker.
And last but not least, just keep practicing. Having an action and delivering on the target can only take you so long. If there is no practice, there is nothing you can do. You need to keep on practicing until you can deliver those yorkers as muscle memory. Because bowling a Yorker does not come naturally to even the best of bowlers. So don’t leave it late to practice a Yorker after the game whether it lands or no. After a normal session, make sure you approach the session in an 80:20 split, meaning if you bowl 40 normal balls, attempt 8 Yorkers. This gives you the rhythm as well as the confidence to attempt it in match situations.
