Death Bowling - a lost art?

[ohnoitsyou]

Pretty much the same issue though isn't it. You will only have 1 man sweeping on the offside, while the batsman can back away and take runs through Third Man/Point/Cover/Long Off if you miss your length slightly.

Quite a few bowlers are becoming death specialists. But it's just so hard in the modern era to not go for atleast one boundary each over when the batsmen are going after you.

The bat balance is a good point too. The bottom of bats have a lot more power in them now.

Fail to see how this is any worse than length balls. Only works when you have something psychological over the batsmen ala Steyn vs NZ at the Champions Trophy(?)

 

[cnerd123]

It's not worse and it's not better.

They're basically trying to execute what they know best. If your yorker skills aren't up to scratch, you will be serving up half volleys and full tosses which will be put away no problem. If you bowl quick length and try to keep the ball away from the batsman's hitting arc (either by cramping them up or bowling wide), you have the small chance of beating the bat or getting a miscued shot.

In the olden days the yorker was the only way to go - because even a missed yorker would be difficult to score off. You would be mad to bowl length at the death. Now I guess it just depends on where your skills are as a bowler and whom you are bowling to.

 

[Daemon]

There's also a need for variations now more than ever because of the changes mentioned by others in the game. When you try to vary that much, you're inevitably going to lose some accuracy and put a couple of balls in the wrong spot.

 

[cnerd123]

I haven't noticed quicks adding that many variations into their game tbh. It's still the standard quick ball - cutters - bouncer - reverse/contrast swing. The only real new development that seems to be widely adopted is the slower ball bouncer.

A few niche death bowlers are making their name with 3 variations of the slower ball or whatever (Dernbach is one I think?), but the vast majority are just sticking to trying to be quick and accurate.

 

[ohnoitsyou]

It's not worse and it's not better.

They're basically trying to execute what they know best. If your yorker skills aren't up to scratch, you will be serving up half volleys and full tosses which will be put away no problem. If you bowl quick length and try to keep the ball away from the batsman's hitting arc (either by cramping them up or bowling wide), you have the small chance of beating the bat or getting a miscued shot.

In the olden days the yorker was the only way to go - because even a missed yorker would be difficult to score off. You would be mad to bowl length at the death. Now I guess it just depends on where your skills are as a bowler and whom you are bowling to.

or you could get of your ass and practice your yorker in the nets.

 

[cnerd123]

I prefer to give the players the benefit of the doubt here. Their job is to play cricket and win matches. All they do it train, practice and play. If more and more fast bowlers around the world are choosing to bowling length instead of yorkers, despite all the tactical knowledge, coaching and footage available to them, its probably because they have made a conscious effort to do so and genuinely believe its the best way to go, and not because they are too lazy to practice bowling yorkers.

Us armchair fans and amateur players can criticise this all we want, but these fast bowlers are professionals playing at the highest level possible. They must have thought about bowling yorkers, must have tried it out in practice games and in the nets, must have studied the footage and statistics of recent OD and T20 games, and would have decided that it perhaps isn't the best strategy after all.

 

[ohnoitsyou]

When India came down here last summer, they bowled better at the death than we did, because Bhuvi in particular kept nailing those yorkers. Anyone not named McCullum struggled to put them away. I remember reading an interview shortly afterwards that the Indian bowlers were working really hard on the yorkers. The wide yorker in particular is a very good tactic, and every game where the bowlers nail their yorkers tends to see the batting team struggle at the death.

For me its quite simple, bowlers don't trust themselves to execute it properly. The ones who work really hard at it, such as Junaid, Southee (mk1) or Bhuvi are epic at the death.

 

[SteveNZ]

When India came down here last summer, they bowled better at the death than we did, because Bhuvi in particular kept nailing those yorkers. Anyone not named McCullum struggled to put them away. I remember reading an interview shortly afterwards that the Indian bowlers were working really hard on the yorkers. The wide yorker in particular is a very good tactic, and every game where the bowlers nail their yorkers tends to see the batting team struggle at the death.

For me its quite simple, bowlers don't trust themselves to execute it properly. The ones who work really hard at it, such as Junaid, Southee (mk1) or Bhuvi are epic at the death.

Completely agree. A slightly misexecuted length ball or bouncer is probably more costly than a misexecuted yorker. Yes the low full toss is easier to get away these days given the pure amount of wood and balance points of bats, granted.

My honest opinion of it all is bowlers would rather slightly adjust their lengths than completely adjust them, lest they render themselves unable to hit their stock and trade ball. But hard enough work on it should ensure you can do both, on command.

*****, it's not that every side/bowler is deciding against it - a few go to the hole, and effectively. I'll be watching with interest at the World Cup as to what sides do.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Henriques bowling a couple of nice yorkers there in over 19 of the latest Big Bash game. Takes a wicket with one (the plumbest Lbw you are ever likely to see) and the next went for a single.

 

[Arachnodouche]

Wasim Akram says a really potent yorker takes more pure physical effort than any other delivery in the fast bowler's arsenal. Too many lazy, semi-skilled bums floating around, that's all.

 

[Migara]

Get in whites, get the red ball. More than Half of the death over kings (batsmen) will become ordinary