Bengaluru: Lasith Malinga is undoubtedly one of the greatest limited-overs bowlers. Apart from his unique round-arm action, what made him such a destructive force in white-ball cricket and a bonafide legend in T20s, especially the IPL, was his ability to deliver those toe-crushing yorkers consistently.
Predominantly used as a death bowler, Malinga barely faltered in an illustrious career where his IPL economy rate from 122 games for five-time champions Mumbai Indians is just 7.14 and 7.42 from 84 T20Is for Sri Lanka.
Game after game, no matter how high the pressure was, Malinga terrorised batters with his yorkers and low full tosses that were near impossible to hit because of their low trajectory; the ball arriving from over the stumps at a flattish angle. The Sri Lankan, master of many a win for the Mumbai Indians, was the hero of their fourth title triumph in 2019 when he defended nine runs in the final over against arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings in a pulsating final. CSK had a well-set Shane Watson and Ravindra Jadeja at the crease and were the favourites, but Malinga engineered the impossible, bowling four yorkers and two low full tosses to help MI sneak home by 1 run.
Not just that match, but even before that, the yorker was considered a fast bowler’s major weapon while bowling at the death. With the ball old and hardly any swing on offer, and batters looking for the big shot, the yorker was the safest bet to stop the willow-wielders from causing maximum damage. The block-hole delivery is a really tough ball to bowl and takes a lot of practice, but if one can execute it perfectly, it’s still the most difficult one to smash for a boundary.
However, the problem with a yorker is its low margin for error. Even if the bowler misses the length by a fraction, it ends up becoming a juicy low full toss or a half-volley – a perfectly wrapped gift for modern-day batters, who can nonchalantly deposit them into the stands. With most of them, who practice range-hitting consistently at the ‘nets’, sitting deep in their crease and waiting for those balls in their arc, a yorker gone wrong can spell doom for the bowlers.
Going by the evidence during the recently-concluded T20 World Cup and in the ongoing IPL, bowlers too have evolved like batters have. Sensing that batters lie in wait for a wrongly executed yorker or a length ball hurled at the usual pace, bowlers have figured that one way to counter them is by taking the pace off the ball. They know it’s hard to bowl six yorkers right at the same spot, so the only way out is to mix things up. Slower balls, cutters, knuckle balls, back of a length deliveries or even slow bouncers are ways to surprise a batter.
Take the game between Gujarat Giants and Delhi Capitals on April 8, for instance. Tasked with defending 13 runs off the final over with DC’s David Miller and Vipraj Nigam on the charge, GT’s Prasidh Krishna tried the length ball to Nigam, who effortlessly smashed it for a boundary. Prasidh exacted revenge by dismissing Nigam the very next ball, conceded a single then to Kuldeep Yadav, and missed his length off the fourth ball to Miller. The South African, waiting like a predator, smashed it for a six to bring the equation down to 2 off 2. Prasidh then surprised Miller but with a short ball, but the southpaw, despite connecting, refused to take a single that would have tied the game. Miller desired to be the hero, but Prasidh yet again surprised the fearsome hitter with a slower bouncer, which he missed. GT sneaked home one-run winners after non-striker Kuldeep Yadav was run out.
Lucknow Super Giants’ Mohammed Shami, known for swing bowling, too, has embraced variety to show how integral it is for a bowler to be successful in a format where scores over 200 are breached often and talk is of 300 even in high-profile games. Against Sunrisers Hyderabad, opening the bowling, Shami started off with three yorkers that caught Travis Head by surprise. The fourth ball was a slower ball, something which Shami doled out abundantly to finish with incredible figures of 4-0-9-2 against a side that possesses one of the most fearsome batting line-ups.
“Having all kinds of varieties in your armoury is good,” former Karnataka captain and India pacer R Vijay Kumar told DHoS. “Back of the length deliveries, it has always been a weapon, because that will be the least expected ball, especially at the death. I’ve been in the coaching circuit for five years now and what I’ve noticed is the first thing the power hitters will be expecting, especially at the death, is yorkers. And they align nicely for that ball. In my opinion, even for the best fast bowlers, bowling six straight yorkers is difficult. They may miss two. That’ll end up becoming full tosses or half-volleys. Batters are even prepared for the wide yorker, giving themselves room and slogging it over covers.
“Nowadays, bats are really good and the power-hitters are extremely strong. They practice six hitting, especially the tall batters, and a slight miss from the bowlers means six. So by keeping all that in mind, I think that hard length definitely is a very good option. To be a successful fast bowler, the key is to keep the batter guessing. Varieties in bowling and playing with field placements have to go hand in hand.”
Delhi Capitals’ Kyle Jamieson echoed Vinay’s thoughts. “The game has moved forward a lot, especially from a batting perspective. Scores are getting higher. The key is not to move away from your strengths. You can get caught trying to do too much, which plays into the batter’s hands. You’re trying to mix pace, bounce, and movement, and structure your overs so batters can’t predict what’s coming. If they know what’s coming, you’re not in the game anymore.
“Batters have become very good at playing yorkers. If you miss slightly, you don’t get away with it anymore. The margin for error is very small. So you see more use of slower balls and deception in the air. Bowlers are trying to disrupt timing and force batters to think something different is coming. That gives you a chance to use yorkers more effectively.”
As bats evolve along with batters, and pitches become flatter than ever in T20s, bowlers too have to keep reinventing themselves to stay relevant in a format that’s skewed heavily on one side. And having more arsenal in one’s armoury helps stay in the game.
Jasprit Bumrah
I’ve been in the coaching circuit for five years now and what I’ve noticed is the first thing the power hitters will be expecting especially at the death is yorkers. And they align nicely for that ball. In my opinion even for the best fast bowlers bowling six straight yorkers is difficult. R Vinay Kumar
Prasidh Krishna