Kagiso Rabada, the South Africa fast bowler, used the yorker to lethal effect to help Delhi Capitals successfully defend 11 in the Super Over against Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League on Saturday, 30 March.
Andre Russell had scored a blistering 28-ball 62, and Prithvi Shaw made a brisk 99, but on a batsman-dominated day, it was Rabada who dealt the decisive blow, with his flurry of yorkers.
Rabada’s courage to keep attempting the delivery came to light when he backed himself to bowl it despite getting flicked for four off the first ball by Russell, when he had only marginally missed his length. Two balls later, he uprooted Russell’s middle-stump with a toe-crusher. Rabada, who will be South Africa’s main quick at the upcoming ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019, said he was confident of bowling the delivery.
“I felt my yorker was coming out decently this game, so that’s what got me to back to it even more,” he said. “And I think it’s important to really be clear and you need to be sure of what you’re doing, whatever ball you bowl.
“That was my plan and that’s all I tried to do, and on a different day, it could be totally something else. On a different day, you could be part of two things that you want to do, but today it was just one and that was yorkers, and I’m really glad it came off.”
After the first-ball four, Rabada conceded only three more runs in the over, with none of Russell, Robin Uthappa or Dinesh Karthik able to put him away. Given how effective it can be, it is often a wonder why bowlers don’t use the yorker more frequently. According to Rabada, the reluctance stems from fear of missing the length, even marginally.
“Sometimes, you miss your yorker, you say you’re going to bowl a yorker and then it comes out as a length ball,” he said. “It is amazing how many times that has happened. Actually, we’re supposed to be professional cricketers. But that just shows you, you’re not always going to feel a 100 per cent.”
Rabada recently spoke about wanting to improve his one-day game even further. The heroic display against Kolkata was probably the consequence of the hard work put in towards achieving that goal. With the World Cup set to begin on 30 May in England and Wales, South Africa will feel thrilled about what the young fast bowler can bring to the table.
