“Don’t bowl length in the death overs” was a maxim often used by commentators, coaches, and experts when they saw bowlers disappear into the stands in the closing stages of ODIs and T20s.
IPL ORANGE CAP | IPL PURPLE CAP | IPL POINTS TABLE
With bats getting bigger and the batters getting stronger, length balls were often considered unforced errors from the bowlers. However, this IPL, the bowlers have hit the three-quarter length of the pitch with minimal damage.
On largish grounds like Jaipur, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Mullanpur, the hard length ball that is bashed into the wicket with three fielders guarding the square boundary, often results in a non-boundary ball. It is not a delivery which tails in at pace and knocks the stumps down that often gets featured in the highlights package, but a blue collar, unglamorous delivery, hitting top of off, that has been the bowlers’ go-to, especially in the end overs.
With batters preparing for the yorker at all time by standing deep in the batting crease, the yorker becomes a delivery with a high error rate when it comes to execution percentage. And if you are one on one against batters like Suryakumar Yadav and Dinesh Karthikwho essay the reverse ramp and scoop with perfection, the yorker often goes for runs if it does not land perfectly.
Bowlers like Pat Cummins have shown the way by packing one side of the deep field with fielders and making batters fetch the ball from the good length spot.
Mitchell Starc, a bowler known for his swinging yorkers, ditched that plan vs LSG in the end overs and derived success at the Eden Gardens for his best outing this season.
For Punjab Kings, Kagiso Rabada delivered a masterclass in length bowling against Rajasthan Royals on Saturday to almost engineer a heist.
jasprit bumrahMayank Yadav, Mohit Sharma, Mustafizur RahmanKuldeep Sen have all used the yorker sparingly and relied on the length ball.
With wickets getting more tired with increased traffic on them as the season wears on, expect the delivery to yield more dividends for bowlers.
IPL ORANGE CAP | IPL PURPLE CAP | IPL POINTS TABLE
With bats getting bigger and the batters getting stronger, length balls were often considered unforced errors from the bowlers. However, this IPL, the bowlers have hit the three-quarter length of the pitch with minimal damage.
On largish grounds like Jaipur, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Mullanpur, the hard length ball that is bashed into the wicket with three fielders guarding the square boundary, often results in a non-boundary ball. It is not a delivery which tails in at pace and knocks the stumps down that often gets featured in the highlights package, but a blue collar, unglamorous delivery, hitting top of off, that has been the bowlers’ go-to, especially in the end overs.
With batters preparing for the yorker at all time by standing deep in the batting crease, the yorker becomes a delivery with a high error rate when it comes to execution percentage. And if you are one on one against batters like Suryakumar Yadav and Dinesh Karthikwho essay the reverse ramp and scoop with perfection, the yorker often goes for runs if it does not land perfectly.
Bowlers like Pat Cummins have shown the way by packing one side of the deep field with fielders and making batters fetch the ball from the good length spot.
Mitchell Starc, a bowler known for his swinging yorkers, ditched that plan vs LSG in the end overs and derived success at the Eden Gardens for his best outing this season.
For Punjab Kings, Kagiso Rabada delivered a masterclass in length bowling against Rajasthan Royals on Saturday to almost engineer a heist.
jasprit bumrahMayank Yadav, Mohit Sharma, Mustafizur RahmanKuldeep Sen have all used the yorker sparingly and relied on the length ball.
With wickets getting more tired with increased traffic on them as the season wears on, expect the delivery to yield more dividends for bowlers.
