Jasprit Bumrah’s Best Yorkers Compilation: With just 34 Test matches under his belt, it is safe to say that Jasprit Bumrah has become one of the most complete seamers in world cricket. He has a better true economy rate and strike rate than Rabada, Cummins and Kuldeep.
He can beat batsman with pace, accuracy, thinking, slow balls, bouncy ones and yorkers.
1. Inswinging yorker
Jasprit Bumrah burst onto the scene as a T20 bowler with a brilliant yorker. The seamer owes it to his mentor Lasith Malinga who is regarded as the yorker king. Bumrah also credits a lot of tennis ball cricket in his younger days for this skill set. He can bowl full-length ones as well as short length ones but the yorker is his primary weapon. His perfect yorkers are like guided missiles that crash at the coordinates destined to.
There are only a few bowlers in the world who can bowl yorkers as consistently as Bumrah. The most notable exceptions are Australia’s Mitchell Starc and Pakistan’s Shaheen Afridi.
One of the reasons Bumrah’s yorkers are so effective is his unique action. He possesses a very flexible wrist which allows him to bend it in an unusual way, known as hyper-extension. This gives him the ability to create an in-swinging yorker as well as a straight one.
The best example of his in-swinging yorker was the delivery that sent Ollie Pope’s stumps flying on the second day of the Vizag Test. The ball looked like a full toss until it seamed in from round the wicket and stayed low enough to rattle the left-hand batsman’s leg stump. This is the type of yorker that most batters struggle to deal with. However, even the most reliable yorkers can go awry from time to time. That’s why bowlers like Tom Natarajan, who threw a lot of yorkers in the 2020 IPL, still concede more than 12 runs per over on average when they miss them.
2. In-swinging bouncer
Bumrah is the spearhead of the Indian bowling attack and sits at the top of both ODI and T20 rankings. He is the world’s best limited overs bowler at the moment and it is not just his pace that makes him so lethal. He has a unique skill set which gives him an edge over other fast bowlers.
One of the things that sets him apart is his ability to misdirect batsmen with his yorkers. He does this by giving them a very little time to line up his delivery. This is because of his unique release point which is much further ahead of the crease than most other fast bowlers. As a result, batters often have no idea what length they are going to get. This was the case when he bowled a stunning yorker to Wriddhiman Saha in Mumbai Indians’ first game of the season. Saha was probably thinking that he is getting a half-volley when he saw the ball leave Bumrah’s hand.
Bumrah is also very consistent with his yorkers. He rarely misses his mark by a long margin, unlike many other fast bowlers. Moreover, he uses them as a surprise weapon. By mixing them up with some other variations, he makes it difficult for batsmen to play him. He owes this to his years of playing tennis ball cricket in his younger days. In addition, he also bowls an impressive slower ball which is often the death blow for batsmen.
3. Out-swinging yorker
Bumrah has arguably the best yorker in world cricket. He bowls them often, and they are effective against a variety of batters. His delivery has the potential to cause batsmen problems in all phases of an innings, but it is his work in the middle overs that really stands out. Since the last World Cup no bowler has attempted more yorkers in this phase of an ODI innings, and nobody has been as successful.
He uses the ball in a very similar way to Malinga, and like him gets enough dip or tail to make them difficult to pick for batters. His idiosyncratic action also means that his wrist bends hyper-extended, which gives him extra bounce. The result is a yorker that, just like a bouncer, looks to get faster as it flies toward the batsman.
It is why he is regarded as the yorker king. He also has a good range of other deliveries, and mixes them up in order to confuse batsmen. That is what makes him so difficult to play, as he can change directions with a flick of the wrist. His tumbling yorker accounted for the wicket of Shaun Marsh in the 2020 IPL, and he also bowled one to dismiss Jonny Bairsow in a T20I in 2021. Watch both of these videos to see what we mean. He is also very effective when he goes for the full toss, though his radar may not show extraordinary speeds.
4. Out-swinging bouncer
Bumrah’s defining feature is his yorker. It’s a delivery that has everything: there’s the deception, there’s the deviation, there’s the speed and there’s also violence. It’s a weapon that he perfected under the tutelage of his idol, Lasith Malinga, who is known as a yorker king around the world.
It’s not hard to see why Bumrah is such a dangerous batsman in this format, even with an average of just over 85 MPH. He has every tool in the shed to be a lethal bowler, and he knows when to use each one.
For example, he’s not often seen bowling full-tilt deliveries but when he does, it can be a disaster for the batter. The way he generates lift while delivering full-tilt means that the ball defies gravity for a split second and comes down flatter and more full than the batter is conditioned to expect.
The result is a ball that flies past the batsman and stays low to rattle the stumps. Such a delivery was the one that dismissed Wriddhiman Saha in Mumbai Indians’ first game of this season, and it showcases everything that makes Bumrah so fearsome. He can beat you in the air like a spinner, and he can make you misjudge your lengths fatally. It’s a combination that few can match.
5. Slower ones
Bumrah is one of the best yorkers bowlers in the world. His unorthodox slinging action is complemented by his precise, disciplined line and length. The Indian pacer also employs slower deliveries and Yorkers to good effect. His tempo changes and the variation they offer batsmen makes him an exceptionally dangerous player in all formats.
The best example of this was when he snared Ollie Pope with a picture-perfect yorker in the second Test against England. The ball swung in sharply and hit the stumps at the exact spot he was aiming for, sending the cricketing world into a frenzy and handing India a massive lead on day two.
Since Bumrah made his international debut, he has taken more first-ball wickets than any other bowler in T20I cricket. This is largely down to the fact that he is adept at bowling slower ones, bouncers and full balls. He is the only bowler to bowl a higher percentage of slower deliveries than Mustafizur Rahman and has a better slower ball economy rate, too.
England all-rounder Chris Woakes recently heaped praise on the Indian pacer, hailing him as “the best all-format fast bowler in the world”. Bumrah recently made a comeback from a prolonged injury layoff and was instrumental in India’s triumph at the Asia Cup. His defiance against the home side in Melbourne was a sight to behold and it is clear that the 25-year-old is one of the most exciting players in white-ball cricket.
6. Slower yorker
The slower yorker is a great weapon for Bumrah as it offers him the best opportunity to get batsmen out. It is a delivery that requires tremendous skill to execute as the margin for error is minuscule. Even the best bowlers in the world struggle to land this ball reliably. Bumrah, on the other hand, has a unique action and can control the pace of the ball which makes it easier for him to deliver a slower yorker.
In his second test against England, Bumrah took wickets at will with the help of this weapon. He dismissed the first-test hero Ollie Pope with a seamed one and then removed Stokes for 23 with another trademark delivery. Earlier, he bowled Joe Root and Tom Hartley to ensure India win the match.
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While Bumrah is one of the most talented fast bowlers in the world, he still has a lot to learn. But that doesn’t mean he won’t improve further. He is still young and will continue to work on his technique.
He has a unique high-arm action that allows him to generate swing and movement off the pitch. It is this unique ability that has helped him become a premier fast bowler in the world of cricket. He has been able to consistently take wickets with his toe-crushing yorkers on docile Indian pitches. This is a rare skill that only a few bowlers possess in the world of cricket.
