What is a yorker?
A yorker is a delivery pitched at the base of the stumps or right at the batsman’s feet — full enough to beat a drive, without ever becoming a full toss. It is the single hardest ball in cricket to time, and the reason it appears in almost every tense final over.
Why it works
Batting is a timing game built around where the ball bounces. A good length ball gives a batsman a fraction of a second between the bounce and the bat arriving — enough to adjust the shot. A yorker removes that fraction almost entirely: it lands so close to the batsman that the ball and the bat arrive together. Get the height wrong by a few centimetres and the ball either goes under the bat and into the base of the stumps, or it turns into a full toss that gets hit for four.
Yorker vs. the other full lengths
| Length | Where it pitches | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Full toss | Never bounces | Easy to hit; above the waist it is a no ball |
| Yorker | At the feet, under a metre out | No room to swing through the line |
| Full | 1.5–2 m out | Drivable, but on the stumps still dangerous |
| Good length | 4–5 m out | The hardest length to score off cleanly |
For the rest of the ladder — back of a length, short and the bouncer — see bowling lengths explained.
Bowling one yourself
In SportsDayNight there is no delivery menu — a yorker comes from the gesture, not a button. Load the action fully and flick flat and fast, straight up the screen, as you release. A flat, full release pitches within a metre of the stumps and skids in low, exactly the way a real yorker does.
FAQ
- What is a yorker?
- A yorker is a delivery pitched right at the base of the stumps or the batsman’s feet — full enough to beat a drive, but not so full that it never bounces. It arrives under the bat before the batsman can adjust.
- Why is a yorker so hard to hit?
- A batsman times a shot off where the ball bounces. A yorker pitches so late and so close that there is almost no gap between the bounce and the bat arriving, leaving no room to swing through the line. Miss the low, late adjustment and it goes under the bat and into the stumps.
- What is the difference between a yorker and a full toss?
- A yorker pitches, just barely, right at the feet. A full toss never touches the ground before reaching the bat. A full toss is far easier to hit — and above waist height it is a no ball.
- What is a slower ball yorker?
- The same full length and line, bowled with a change of grip or wrist angle that takes pace off without changing the arm action. The batsman reads "yorker" from the release and commits early, then the ball arrives late.
- Why do bowlers use yorkers at the death?
- In the last few overs the batting side is swinging hard at everything. A well-directed yorker removes the room to free the arms, which is exactly what is in short supply when the field is up and the required rate is climbing.