Yorker - Use of The Yorker

Use of The Yorker

Bowling yorkers is a tactic used most often by fast bowlers. A fast yorker is one of the most difficult types of delivery in cricket to play successfully, as the bat must be swung down right to the pitch to intercept the ball&mash;if any gap remains between the bat and the pitch, the ball can squeeze through and potentially go on to hit the wicket, getting the batsman to the pavilion. The yorker might also not even hit the bat but hit the pads in front of the wicket, resulting in the batsman getting out LBW. When the batsman blocks such a ball, it is referred to as "dug out". A bowler who achieves swing when bowling yorkers can be even more dangerous, as the ball will deviate sideways as it travels towards the batsman, making it even harder to hit.

Yorkers can also be aimed directly at the batsman's feet, forcing the batsman to shift his feet while attempting to play the ball, or risk being hit. Inswinging yorkers have a reputation for being particularly hard to defend and difficult to score runs off. Such a delivery is colloquially known as a sandshoe crusher, toe crusher or nail breaker.

Despite the effectiveness of yorkers, they are notoriously difficult to bowl correctly and will usually be attempted only a handful of times during a sequence of several overs. A slight variation in length can mean the yorker will pitch just short of the batsman—making the ball into a half volley that is easy to hit—or will reach the batsman without bouncing—which makes the ball a full toss, that is also easy to hit. Yorkers are best used to surprise a batsman who has become accustomed to hitting shorter-pitched balls and not with the bat speed necessary to defend against a yorker. As such, a yorker is frequently bowled quickly to give the batsman less time to react and position his bat.

The yorker is regarded as particularly effective against weak "tail-end" batsmen, who often lack the skill to defend even a non-swinging yorker and who are sometimes less susceptible to other bowling tactics. It is also particularly effective in the later stages of an innings in one-day cricket, because it is the most difficult of all deliveries to score off even if defended successfully. Runs will often only be scored off edges or straight down the ground.