Where have all the yorkers gone?

In this year’s IPL, on average about 40 runs have been scored at the death in the first innings for the first 35 matches. Ant Sims, writing in Daily Maverick, says that death bowling is a fine art, but as batsmen are increasingly stamping their authority on the final overs of a match, is the yorker becoming extinct?

Death bowling is a bespoke art, mastered by only a few and, while the yorker has been the traditional go-to ball in any bowlers’ arsenal, these deliveries are becoming increasingly rare. The game has evolved and batsmen are becoming more skilled, especially in the shortest format of the game. Those who wield the willow are continuously inventing new shots. Shots that would have most MCC members choke on their tea and biscuits. Batsmen are becoming smarter and where a towering paceman would once have a diminutive batsman shaking in his spikes, they’re now simply scooping their balls over the keeper and flashing a cheeky smile.