From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In cricket, a Yorker is a delivery where the cricket ball bounces on the cricket pitch on or near the batsman's popping crease. Since a batsman in a normal stance has his feet on the popping crease, this means the ball is bouncing very near his feet, which makes the ball difficult to hit with the bat. This is usually the 'ideal' place for a bowler to bowl, yet, because this is close to the batsmen, many bowlers mistime their bowl and bowl a full toss instead.

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—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 out. 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, making the batsman have 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 probably unlikely to score runs off. Such a delivery is colloquially known as a sandshoe crusher or a toe crusher. The Pakistani fast bowlers Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis were well known for their use of these deliveries.

Despite the effectiveness of yorkers, bowlers will usually only attempt to bowl a handful of yorkers during a sequence of several overs. The main strength of the yorker is as a surprise weapon, when the batsman has become accustomed to hitting shorter-pitched balls and not using the bat with the speed necessary to defend against a yorker. Yorkers are also notoriously difficult to bowl correctly, as 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. The margin for error is quite small, which is why bowlers do not bowl yorkers more frequently.

The yorker is regarded as particularly effective against weak "tail-end" batters, 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 latter 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.

The term is thought to derive from the 18th and 19th century slang term "to pull yorkshire" on a person meaning to trick or deceive them and this is the intention of a yorker ball. The origin of the term was once debated on the BBC radio programme Test Match Special, but to no avail. The only conclusion from the commentary team was "What else would you call it?"

A yorker is usually delivered very late in the action with the hand almost pointing directly vertical. The aim is both to get more pace and to deliver it later so as to deceive the batsman in flight. It is usually recommended to deliver the ball with some inswing but an away-swinging yorker aimed at the pads can be just as effective. Because yorkers are quite difficult to bowl, the key to bowling them well is to practise the delivery time and time again.

What makes bowling a yorker more difficult is the accuracy required. If one puts it a bit fuller, it turns into a juicy full toss. On the contrary, if it ends up an inch shorter, it is a simple half volley. Both these balls generally get the same punishment of running to the boundary.