York them out
Fast bowling great Hadlee throws his weight behind the yorker; Ambrose singles out bowling partnerships.
Fast bowling legend Richard Hadlee believes the yorker is still the most potent weapon to counter the new fielding restrictions, bigger bats and hardhitting batsmen that have made the bat seem dominant in this World Cup. Speaking to media, in the company of another fast bowling great Curtly Ambrose, who is also the current West Indies bowling coach, Hadlee said the successful deployment of the yorker could drastically reduce the number of highscoring contests.
Hadlee, who once held the record for most number of Test wickets, said: “If you look at the last ten overs of teams batting, particularly those batting first, 110, 120 or 130 runs are being conceded, there just aren’t any yorkers being bowled. There’s a tendency to bowl back of a length, the slower bouncer, different changeups, or full and wide. That’s the way the modern game is. But if you get the yorker right, it’s pretty difficult to hit it out of the park. Batsmen move around a lot more, outside the leg stump to get room, or outside off, or at you, back in the crease too. For a bowler to make those sorts of adjustments like that, it’s not easy. How would I bowl? Good old line and length is not a bad option for a start, to get that consistency. Changes of pace, using the crease, trying to get the yorker right up there. And if the WWW.MUMBAIMIRROR.COM/SPORT mirrorfeedback@timesgroup.com MumbaiMirror I FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 2015 28 batsman is good enough to hit me out of the park, then you’ve got to just concede and say well played.”
Ambrose added Morne Morkel’s name to the list. “I share the same sentiments as Richard. I think he [Morkel] can be a handful on his day, tall, with extra bounce. We talk about Steyn as a fantastic bowler but so often it is Morkel causing problems.”
Both agreed that one of the important things working in favour of teams like New Zealand, South Africa and Australia are bowling partnerships. “Morkel and Steyn. Southee and Boult. Mitchell Starc and Johnson. That’s what makes some of the individual bowlers potentially more dangerous than the other. If it’s not their day, it’s somebody else’s.
“This is what is exciting in the game at the moment. Going way back in history when you look at the great combinations - Lillee-Thommo, Hall-Griffith, Trueman-Statham - you can’t forget them. Today they still hunt in packs.”
Fast bowling legend Richard Hadlee believes the yorker is still the most potent weapon to counter the new fielding restrictions, bigger bats and hardhitting batsmen that have made the bat seem dominant in this World Cup. Speaking to media, in the company of another fast bowling great Curtly Ambrose, who is also the current West Indies bowling coach, Hadlee said the successful deployment of the yorker could drastically reduce the number of highscoring contests.
Hadlee, who once held the record for most number of Test wickets, said: “If you look at the last ten overs of teams batting, particularly those batting first, 110, 120 or 130 runs are being conceded, there just aren’t any yorkers being bowled. There’s a tendency to bowl back of a length, the slower bouncer, different changeups, or full and wide. That’s the way the modern game is. But if you get the yorker right, it’s pretty difficult to hit it out of the park. Batsmen move around a lot more, outside the leg stump to get room, or outside off, or at you, back in the crease too. For a bowler to make those sorts of adjustments like that, it’s not easy. How would I bowl? Good old line and length is not a bad option for a start, to get that consistency. Changes of pace, using the crease, trying to get the yorker right up there. And if the WWW.MUMBAIMIRROR.COM/SPORT mirrorfeedback@timesgroup.com MumbaiMirror I FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 2015 28 batsman is good enough to hit me out of the park, then you’ve got to just concede and say well played.”
Picking his top quicks in the ongoing World Cup, Hadlee said: “You can’t go far beyond Dale Steyn. He is starting to hit his straps now, he was a bit of a slow starter but he has got a reputation so he has presence. He is now starting to get wickets and put pressure on batsmen and is getting his space up. He started the tournament very slowly. Tim Southee has been outstanding. OK, he got a big bag of seven wickets in Wellington and has picked up the odd one or two thereafter but I like the way he is running in and bowling at the moment and swinging the ball. The Kiwi pace attack has swung the ball more than the other side. Trent Boult has been quite outstanding, running in off a shortish run-up. It reminds me of myself in many ways, short run-up, attacking the crease, side-on, swinging the ball both ways and that combination of Boult and Southee has been outstanding.”
Ambrose added Morne Morkel’s name to the list. “I share the same sentiments as Richard. I think he [Morkel] can be a handful on his day, tall, with extra bounce. We talk about Steyn as a fantastic bowler but so often it is Morkel causing problems.”
Both agreed that one of the important things working in favour of teams like New Zealand, South Africa and Australia are bowling partnerships. “Morkel and Steyn. Southee and Boult. Mitchell Starc and Johnson. That’s what makes some of the individual bowlers potentially more dangerous than the other. If it’s not their day, it’s somebody else’s.
“This is what is exciting in the game at the moment. Going way back in history when you look at the great combinations - Lillee-Thommo, Hall-Griffith, Trueman-Statham - you can’t forget them. Today they still hunt in packs.”
