NEW DELHI: Few deliveries have sparked as much awe and dread as the reverse swinging yorker, a weapon so potent it once seemed to bend the laws of physics. In the 1990s, this art form was mastered by the likes of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, whose leather missiles would curl through the air, dip late and crash into the base of stumps with surgical precision.
Batters were left bewildered, their defences shattered, as exponents of reverse swing would turn pitches into their personal canvases, painting destruction with every searing delivery. But as the game evolved, the reverse swinging yorker seemed to fade into legend, a relic of a bygone era overshadowed by modern tactics. Many believed this craft was lost to time, a victim of changing conditions, newer balls and a generation of bowlers chasing variations over venom.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!In a thrilling twist, Mitchell Starc on Wednesday resurrected this forgotten art, reminding the cricketing world that the reverse swinging yorker is anything but extinct.
For Delhi Capitals, the Australian speedster generated reverse swing — averaging around 1.2 to 1.8 degrees on the old ball — during the 18th, 20th and the Super Over he bowled against Rajasthan Royals here on Wednesday. “I’ve played long enough, so everyone pretty much knows what I’m going to do,” Starc said after the match.
“If I can execute more often than not, it’s going to be okay. I mean, you could play that (20th) over 10 more times and do 10 different things and it might be 10 different results. So as I said, a bit of luck goes a long way. Fortunately I executed well enough to get us to a Super Over and then, yes, we were on the right end of it.”
What sets Starc apart is his meticulous approach to execution. He doesn’t merely rely on the ball’s condition or seam position; he manipulates the angle of the seam, the wrist position and even the crease he bowls from to maximize the ball’s late movement. By landing the ball precisely at the batsman’s feet and combining it with subtle reverse swing, Starc crafts deliveries that are nearly impossible to score off and treacherous to defend. His yorkers don’t just aim for the blockhole — they curve in at the last moment, often clipping the stumps or trapping batsmen LBW.
“Getting reverse swing is one thing, but executing it is very important. It was reversing, but at that time, under pressure, he (Starc) was executing those accurate yorkers. I was just reminding him to be clear with his plans and trust himself. I was getting the same response. ‘Don’t worry, skip. I will do it,’”
DC skipper Axar Patel said after the game. Axar observed that the reintroduction of saliva for ball maintenance has aided bowlers in generating reverse swing.
“Because we can use saliva this season, and since there isn’t much grass on the surface, you can get the ball to reverse. I feel it’s fair for bowlers, given how the grounds are, how batsmen’s bats are and how runs keep flowing. We’re getting 180-190 scores, and it’s fun when that happens, because it’s competitive cricket and it’s not as if there’s nothing in it for the bowlers. I feel we’re able to get reverse swing because of the use of saliva,” said Axar.
Royals batter Nitish Rana, who scored a brisk half-century in the match, although in a losing cause, also credited Starc for his “brilliant” execution of the reverse-swinging yorker.
“The reverse swing that we got to see from Starc... obviously the credit goes to him but the application of saliva also makes a lot of difference. We didn’t use saliva at all in the last two-three years, and we didn’t even practice against reverse-swinging deliveries in the nets. In fact, reverse swing had completely gone away from cricket. Suddenly, if someone can execute 11 yorkers out of 12 balls at a 145 (kph) pace, then you have to give Starc the credit,” Rana said.
In essence, Starc has rekindled a flame thought to be extinguished. It underscores a fascinating evolution in the game’s dynamics. As batsmen have adapted to handle short-pitched and slower deliveries better, the yorker, especially one that reverses late, now has to regain its status as the ultimate death-overs weapon.
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