McGrath hails thinking Starc
Former Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath hailed Mitchell Starc before Thursday's World Cup semifinal against India for his use of the yorker, saying he was one of the few pacemen in the Twenty20 age to use it was a weapon.
Starc has enjoyed a sensational tournament, taking 18 wickets in six matches at 9.77.
McGrath was impressed the 25-year-old had not allowed the tactics employed by bowlers in Twenty20 to cloud his approach.
"I look at T20 cricket and it has increased the skill level of batsmen but it has decreased the skill level of bowlers," said McGrath.
"Bowlers seem to think, through T20, that they have to bowl six different deliveries ... slower balls, short balls ... but the most dangerous delivery is still the yorker.
"If you can [bowl] that yorker really well on a consistent basis you'll get wickets, and that's what Mitchell Starc has done brilliantly during this World Cup.
"Other guys have tried it and because they haven't practised it enough they're not confident enough to bowl it; they'll opt for a bouncer or a slower ball, which just opens up the whole field.
"If they could really [nail] the yorker it'll cut down the number of shots a batsman can play ... yes, they can play the 'lap' and the other things they do now ... but the risk factor [for a batsmen] increases.
"I think the fact Mitchell Starc can do that is brilliant, and that's why he has been so effective. He's bowling at 150km/h as well, and it's part of the reason why I think he has been the standout bowler."
McGrath, who coaches at the world-renowned MRF Pace Foundation in India, said bowlers needed to change the way they were bowling yorkers at training if they were to maintain what he fears could become a lost skill.
"Because bowlers don't practice it properly in the nets, it's hard for them to do it during a game," he said. "When they bowl yorkers in the nets they step so far over [the crease] they find the length is entirely different in a match."
Meanwhile, McGrath said he expected the Australian selectors would have agonised over selecting either Josh Hazlewood or Pat Cummins for the semifinal, but he suggested Hazlewood 's last outing could not be ignored.
"Josh has a little more control, probably a little more bounce as well, but not too much," he said.
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