How the T20 stars fare against the yorker

The man with the best strike rate against the yorker doesn’t feature in this year’s IPL

S Rajesh13-Apr-2018For all the newer deliveries that have come into the 20-over game, the yorker remains perhaps the most lethal option if bowled with precision. Sample this to understand why: since the start of 2015, AB de Villiers’ strike rate against the yorker is 82.14. Against all other kinds of deliveries, he strikes at 169.ESPNcricinfo LtdOverall, the strike rate off yorkers bowled in all T20s since 2015 is a mere 78.1, and the average: 12.30. The challenge is to get it right, because the repercussions of getting it wrong are quite severe.Among the 50 batsmen who have faced 25 or more yorkers in T20s during this period, only five have strike rates of over 100. Three of them feature in this year’s IPL – Chris Morris, Glenn Maxwell, and Jos Buttler. The leader of the pack, though, is Hashim Amla, who is the only batsman with a strike rate of over 125.

Morris and Buttler haven’t been dismissed off these deliveries, which is quite impressive. Rounding off the top ten are MS Dhoni (SR 98.1), Kevin Pietersen (96.67), Kane Williamson (96), Shakib Al Hasan (94.87), Umar Akmal and Rohit Sharma (both 94.12).Now, let’s look at how a few other T20 stars fare against this delivery. None of these numbers are flattering to the batsmen, which means when the delivery comes out right, it’s lethal. When it doesn’t, the bowlers pay a huge price. Nowhere is this more evident than in the stats for Andre Russell: his strike rate against the yorker is a mere 52.63 (30 runs off 57 balls); when the bowler misses and bowls a half-volley or a full toss, Russell’s strike rate zooms to 221.