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As we already know what a yorker is in cricket, this is the time to have a look at the notable bowlers in the cricket world.
Lasith Malinga is known as one of the best yorker bowlers in the world. However, who are the best bowlers of the different yorker types?
Notable Slow Yorker Bowlers
Shane Bond
Steve Harmison only used the slow yorker rarely but it was a more regular part of Shane Bond’s armoury. When he was at his fittest, the New Zealander could bowl with extreme pace so the slow ball was very unexpected and hard for the batters to pick up.
Sadly, that fitness was an issue for much of his career but Bond is now a respected bowling coach so the art of the slow yorker lives on.
Andrew Flintoff
England’s Andrew Flintoff also struggled with injuries towards the end of his career. Like Shane Bond, he could bowl with extreme pace when he was at his best so the slow yorker was a surprise delivery.
Flintoff made a comeback in T20 franchise cricket where he worked hard on his variations. The slower balls became a bigger focal point at this late stage of his career.
Best Fast Yorker Bowlers
Here are some of the best exponents of the fast yorker.
Dale Steyn
South Africa’s Dale Steyn was shorter in stature than many fast bowlers. He had a skiddy action as a result and still bowled with plenty of pace. His fast yorker was very accurate and hard for batters to cope with.
Steyn took plenty of wickets with the fast yorker in all formats in a career which saw him claim 699 international victims.
Shoaib Akhtar
The man known as the Rawalpindi Express was the fastest bowler of all time. Shoaib Akhtar of Pakistan could clock in at around 100mph at his best and, at that kind of speed, any type of delivery is hard to keep out.
Shoaib’s Yorker was fast and very full and it helped him to claim a significant proportion of his international wickets.
Brett Lee
There was a time when Shoaib Akhtar and Australia’s Brett Lee were battling it out to be the fastest bowler in the world. Lee was also capable of bowling deliveries in the high 90 miles per hour bracket.
At that extreme speed, yorkers are seriously hard to deal with and Brett Lee delivered his with great pace and unerring accuracy.
Notable Swinging Yorker Bowlers
Left arm bowlers are particularly adept at bowling the swinging yorker and the following three players are great examples.
Mitchell Starc
Perhaps the greatest exponent of the swinging yorker, Australia’s Mitchell Starc is certainly a great example for anyone wanting to learn this type of delivery. He is blessed with natural height and pace and that helps to complete a fearsome package.
The swing that he imparts makes his yorkers so hard to dig out. Starc can even swing the white cricket ball on a regular basis and that’s a very rare quality.
Trent Boult
Trent Boult produced a masterclass in swing bowling during the 2022 test series in England. When the conditions are in his favour, this New Zealand left armer is almost unplayable.
Boult bowled full on that occasion but he can pitch the ball up even further to deliver an exceptional yorker. He’s been an important player for T20 franchises over the years and the ability to deliver that swinging yorker is a big part of his appeal.
Wasim Akram
One of the Sultans of Swing, Pakistan’s Wasim Akram maybe wasn’t as fast as Mitchell Starc or some of the other left arm bowlers of recent years. However, what made him stand out above his contemporaries was that exceptional swing.
Wasim was one of the best bowlers of reverse swing in the game but, whether it was reverse or conventional swing, his yorker was almost unplayable.
Notable Toe Crusher Bowlers
Waqar Younis
Wasim Akram’s opening bowling partner for many years, Waqar Younis was arguably the best exponent of the toe crusher. He could get exceptional swing and the ball could come in from way outside off stump to hit the base of the stumps.
Batters all over the world struggled to cope but Waqar’s toe crusher was especially effective on Pakistan’s tours of England.
Lasith Malinga
Sri Lanka’s Lasith Malinga had lots of variation and he could also bowl an effective slow yorker. His round arm, slingy action also helped with getting the ball to swing.
Malinga’s swinging yorker would move late and that’s why it was so difficult to play as it moved in, right at the batter’s toes.
