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Incricket, ayorker is a ball bowled (adelivery) which bounces by the batsman's feet. This makes it very challenging for a batter to play.[1]
When a batsman assumes a normal stance, a yorker generally bounces on thecricket pitch on or near thebatsman'spopping crease. A batsman who advances down the pitch to strike the ball (typically to spin bowlers) may by so advancing cause the ball to pitch (or land) at or around their feet and may thus cause themself to be "yorked".[2] Yorkers are considered to be one of the most difficult deliveries to bowl.[1]
TheOxford English Dictionary gives the derivation of the term as originating inYorkshire, a notable English cricketing county.[3]
According to Oxford dictionaries, the term was coined because players from York bowled these deliveries. Another theory attributes the name to the other meaning of yorker which is a cheater.[4] However, other derivations have been suggested. The term may derive from the 18th and 19th century slang term "to pull Yorkshire" on a person meaning to trick or deceive them,[5] although there is evidence to suggest that theMiddle English wordyuerke (meaning to trick or deceive) may have been the source.[citation needed]
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A batsman who has been beaten by a yorker is said to have been yorked. "Beaten" in this context does not mean that the batsman is bowled or given outlbw but can include the batsman missing the ball with the bat. A delivery which is intended to be a yorker but which does not york the batsman is known as an attempted yorker.[citation needed]
A batsman in their normal stance will raise his bat (backlift) as the bowler bowls which can make the yorker difficult to play when it arrives at the batsman's feet. A batsman may only realise very late that the delivery is of yorker length and will jam their bat down to "dig out" the yorker.[6]
A yorker is a difficult delivery to bowl as a mistimed delivery can either result in afull toss or half-volley which can easily be played by the batsman. Bowling yorkers is a tactic used most often by fastbowlers. 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 thewicket. The yorker might miss the bat but hit the pads in front of the wicket, resulting in the batsman getting outlbw. When the batsman blocks such a ball, it is referred to as "dug out". A bowler who achievesswing 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.[citation needed]
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,[7] cobbler's delight or nail breaker. A recent variation is thewide yorker, which is delivered wide of the batsman on theoff side. This is particularly useful inTwenty20 cricket as a ploy to restrict runs rather than to get the batsman out.[8]
Despite the effectiveness of yorkers, they are notoriously difficult to bowl correctly and usually will be attempted only a handful of times during a sequence of severalovers. 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 weaktail-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.
The most notable bowlers in delivering yorkers are PakistanisWaqar Younis,Wasim Akram, andShoaib Akhtar, Sri LankanLasith Malinga, AustraliansBrett Lee,Mitchell Starc,Pat Cummins andMitchell Johnson, New ZealandersTrent Boult,Shane Bond andTim Southee, South AfricansDale Steyn andAllan Donald, West IndiansPatrick Patterson,Malcolm Marshall,Courtney Walsh,Curtly Ambrose andJerome Taylor, IndiansZaheer Khan,Bhuvneshwar Kumar,Jasprit Bumrah,T. Natarajan and EnglishmenAndrew Flintoff,Chris Jordan andMark Wood.
A yorker is usually delivered very late[dubious –discuss] in the bowling action with the hand pointing almost vertically. 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 they require substantial practice in order to achieve consistent success.[9]