The Yorker is regarded as the bowler’s main weapon. Bowlers often use it as their go-to option, especially in the slog overs. It is the best delivery that bowlers could use to not just restrict scoring but pick wickets too. Reverse swing aids yorker length bowling. It isn’t a surprise that the greatest exponents of this ball are from the subcontinent. The pacers from Pakistan especially find it second nature to deliver thunderbolts.
We look at the 5 Greatest Yorker Bowlers Of All-time:
#5 Mitchell Starc
He is one of the most devastating bowlers at the death currently. Mitchell Starc in full flow is a sight to behold. He is the only bowler to top the wicket-takers charts in two consecutive World Cups. Starc’s career reached a new crescendo in the 2015 World Cup. His delivery to dismiss Brendon McCullum was a classic Starc delivery. The inswinging yorker is his biggest strength. He becomes unplayable when he bowls round the wicket to the right-handers. Starc has the best strike rate among bowlers who have picked more than 150 ODI wickets.
#4 Jasprit Bumrah
He was an understudy of Lasith Malinga in his initial few years at the Mumbai Indians. Jasprit Bumrah seamlessly took over the mantle from Malinga in a couple of seasons. He became India’s pace spearhead within a year of making his debut. Bumrah makes things happen. He resorts to a variety of deliveries with supreme control. Bumrah bowls a mean yorker, a slow yorker, a dipping yorker. He has prized out many victims across the world with his skill. Bumrah is currently the best exponent of this art. He is arguably the number 1 bowler across formats.
#3 Wasim Akram
The sultan of swing, Wasim Akram was the early practitioner of this art. He was a magician with the ball. Imran Khan had predicted quite early that Akram will finish as one of the greats of the game. He was spot on with his prediction. Akram is widely regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time. He was accurate and his skill set was unbelievable. It was such a rare combination. Akram finished with 502 ODI wickets, and 414 Test wickets. A lot of that would have been a result of some unplayable Yorkers!
#2 Lasith Malinga
No bowler in the world was as famous as Lasith Malinga for bowling the yorker. Such was his expertise with the yorker that the world was enchanted. He nailed Yorkers on demand. The batsmen despite knowing what’s in store could hardly do anything about Malinga’s yorker. He has multiple hat tricks across formats. Malinga is the only bowler to pick up 4 wickets in 4 balls in two different formats. The yorker was synonymous with Malinga, he had such a big effect on the game.
#1 Waqar Younis
The original reverse swinging king, Waqar Younis, undoubtedly tops the list. He was a master at moving the old ball at pace. Batsmen had no clue when Younis was on a roll. He wasn’t just good at home but even overseas, Waqar was a force of nature. His athletic action was a fan-favourite. The side on release helped him nail the Yorkers with clinical precision. Younis holds one of the best strike rates in the game.
Wasim and Waqar, the two most famous W’s in cricket brought immense joy to the fans with their craft.
