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Stats Analysis

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 Rajesh
S Rajesh
13-Apr-2018
For 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.
Overall, 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.
Top strike rates against the yorker (In T20s since Jan 2015; min 25 balls)
Batsmen Runs Balls Dismissals SR
 Hashim Amla  38  30  1  126.67
 Glenn Maxwell  40  33  1  121.21
 Chris Morris  37  31  0  119.35
 Jos Buttler  33  31  0  106.45
 Brad Hodge  33  33  2  100.00
 MS Dhoni  52  53  1  98.11
 Kevin Pietersen  29  30  2  96.67
 Kane Williamson  24  25  1  96.00
 Shakib Al Hasan  37  39  2  94.87
 Rohit Sharma  32  34  2  94.12
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.
Batsmen v the yorker (in T20s since Jan 2015)
Batsmen Runs Balls Dismissals SR
 Virat Kohli  44  47  3  93.62
 AB de Villiers  23  28  0  82.14
 Shane Watson  29  36  1  80.56
 Suresh Raina  28  37  3  75.68
 Kieron Pollard  60  89  3  67.42
 Brendon McCullum  31  47  1  65.96
 Chris Lynn  25  38  1  65.79
 Chris Gayle  42  67  1  62.69
 Andre Russell  32  59  2  54.24
 Shikhar Dhawan  9  29  2  31.03

S Rajesh is stats editor of ESPNcricinfo. @rajeshstats