Your Cricket Serious trouble playing yorkers.

[iridescentt]

Well after one of my worst days in Indoor Cricket history, I have come to the conclusion that yorkers are friggen' killing me!

I'm playing all my other shots correctly. Yet every time I see a (Non-)swinging yorker come my way I suddenly buckle and don't play a shot at all. I've practiced in the nets as well periodically and quite frankly it's ridiculous. I always try leaning forward on the front foot a lil' and try and play the block shot through. But it's as if it's going right under the toe of my bat and knocking over the stumps.

Your probably thinking it's not a big thing in Indoor Cricket (I lost my team like 20 runs tonight), but looking back it has affected me while playing for my 1st XI squad. I don't want to let my form degrade itself just because I can't play the block shot against a yorker. Starting the 2007 season (Which I reckon' was the pinnacle of my cricketing career ) I opened the batting lineup for the 2nd XI. Mid-way through the season I managed to make my way up to the 1st XI and came out 3rd drop. During the 2008 season I decided to work my front foot a bit more considering I usually stay 'defensive' a lot as I never give the keeper a chance at stumping me; hence why my left foot always stays behind the crease. I try to decipher what the bowlers trying to bowl at me but half the time it's just luck and I end up giving the bowl a good whack over the fence. But yorkers always seem to baffle my coach.

You might say that I should go back to my batting stance/style which I used during the 2007 season, thing is I had to get a minor knee reconstruction on my right leg and it hasn't been normal since. Can anyone offer any advice on how I can conquer the yorker ?

Note: I'm a RH batsman

 

[King Pietersen]

How high's your back-lift? Could be that your backlift is too high, meaning it's taking you too long to jam the bat down on the ball. I suffered with that a year or so ago, just lowered my backlift abit.

 

[shubhrayu]

Agreed with the above post if you've got a high backlift then you'll need too good hand-eye co-ordination....

 

[SciD]

I dont think having high backlift is disadvantage. It matters how well you judge the ball out of hand. What I found while playing cricket was that best way to play yorker was to play it towards mid off and straight. If you try to play it towards covers or try to flick it towards mid wicket you find yourself getting bowled most of times. The squarer you go the riskier it gets.

Still say best shot against yorker is a defense.

 

[max_dillon2007]

High backlift isnt a problem as long as your reflexes are quick. I think you are not keeping the eyes on the ball till the last moment,thus when you see a yorker you just play your defensive shot without looking at the ball and ball slips through. Most of the players who like to play the ball on the up tend to have this problem. I guess you also play on the up a lot. So simple solution is that keep the eye on the ball till the last moment and defend it with you bat(hopefully)

 

[angryangy]

Back-lift can be an issue because it's not just a matter of high or low, it's in the movements used to create it. Players who are strong-wristed can achieve an exaggerated back-lift without losing speed. The wrists provide the fulcrum for the bat to move in a tight, quick arc; the elbows and shoulders (and back if you're so inclined) describe larger and slower arcs.

Playing straight is, of course, elementary. Angle the bat (along any axis) and you increase the risk of playing the ball with not enough bat. However, when the ball sneaks under the bat, it's probably not the straightness of technique that is the issue.

Personally (bear with me, most of you are probably better batsmen) what I find to make yorkers tricky is that you have to watch them more than other deliveries. Like how a spinner might seek to toss the ball above your eyeline, a good yorker will dart in below your eyeline. If you're struggling even to offer a shot, it sounds like you're missing a visual cue, like you're not quite seeing the pitch of the ball.