Now this is a real hobby horse of mine, and I'd like to know where everyone is at on it - in terms of how many guys, and teams around the world get it right.
I bring it up because I watched the worst display of death bowling of all-time last night, albeit some Neville Noones running around for the Sydney Thunder. Length ball after length ball, no pace off the ball, consistently going two tiers up the stand.
Now I understand accessing the perfect yorker is a tough art, but the best (Arafat, Southee, Gul at his peak are three that come to mind) could get it done more often than not. Now it seems like it's hardly ever considered, and confusing guys with pace, and lack of, is the MO of the death bowler.
Hitting length and asking guys to hit you to the long boundaries/into the wind works in Australia a lot of the time, but it won't in New Zealand so it'll be interesting as to who gets it right and who doesn't in the World Cup.
I know some will say the advent of the ramp has made yorker-length bowling a different prospect, but how many guys around the world can do it effectively and with regularity? When England got pumped mercilessly last year by Fawkner at the death, they didn't once go to the hole and ask him to change his game. And I see instances of that all the time, where guys won't even go to the hole once to see if that's a way to block off scoring options. And to that tune, would a guy almost at back stop/fine fine leg help even more - especially on bigger straight grounds?
I bring it up because I watched the worst display of death bowling of all-time last night, albeit some Neville Noones running around for the Sydney Thunder. Length ball after length ball, no pace off the ball, consistently going two tiers up the stand.
Now I understand accessing the perfect yorker is a tough art, but the best (Arafat, Southee, Gul at his peak are three that come to mind) could get it done more often than not. Now it seems like it's hardly ever considered, and confusing guys with pace, and lack of, is the MO of the death bowler.
Hitting length and asking guys to hit you to the long boundaries/into the wind works in Australia a lot of the time, but it won't in New Zealand so it'll be interesting as to who gets it right and who doesn't in the World Cup.
I know some will say the advent of the ramp has made yorker-length bowling a different prospect, but how many guys around the world can do it effectively and with regularity? When England got pumped mercilessly last year by Fawkner at the death, they didn't once go to the hole and ask him to change his game. And I see instances of that all the time, where guys won't even go to the hole once to see if that's a way to block off scoring options. And to that tune, would a guy almost at back stop/fine fine leg help even more - especially on bigger straight grounds?