He’s becoming England’s go-to man at the death but how does Chris Jordan deliver the perfect yorker?
We caught up with him after one of his ‘death drills’ where he aims at four targets – three on the batting crease and a fourth on a length.
Green, red and white
“I set up my stations,” Jordan told ecb.co.uk.
“I have my wide yorker which is always the green cone, straight yorker which is the red cone, and my leg stump yorker - for if the batsman backs away - is the white cone.
“The blue disc on a length is where I want to be bowling my slower ball. It’s not a long session, it’s about nine balls of high intensity.
“I’m using my variations, so out of nine balls I am trying to nail about six yorkers and three slower balls.”
Mixing it up
With batsmen able to hit 360 degrees in the modern game, bowling at the death can be something of a lottery. How do you counter a batsman moving at the last minute?
To replicate this bowling coach Ottis Gibson, overseeing the drill, occasionally changes the target just before delivery, mimicking a batsman shuffling around the crease.
“We do a mixture,” added Jordan. “I decide what ball I want to bowl or Ottis might decide when I am in my gather. If the batsman moves then I might need to adjust my line but still nail my skill.
“Bats are getting bigger, guys are hitting the ball a lot further so your precision has got to be up there.
“If you are bowling two overs at the back end you are trying to get 10 yorkers in. It’s a high percentage.”
And what about the grip?
“Some batsmen can pick up a change in grip and they might know that’s a cue for a slower ball, a slightly quicker ball or a bouncer, so you want to make sure your grip is consistent.”