Few deliveries instill fear in the spines of batsmen across the globe than the inevitable yorker. Of course, many bowlers have tried to master this killer, but only a few were lucky enough to wear the tag of "yorker king." These cricket maestros have elevated this toe-crushing delivery to some level of art, using it both to stomp stumps and break confidence with equal precision. That delivery which was once a variation ball has now turned out to be the ultimate arsenal in death overs-the yorker. Several can bowl yorkers, but it's only when the pretenders turn out to be yorker king by throwing it with precision at high speeds that people know the devil remains unseen until he speaks. Who Is the Yorker King? The Best Yorker Bowlers in Cricket History Player Name Test Wickets ODI Wickets T20I Wickets Total International Wickets Waqar Younis 373 416 - 789 Lasith Malinga 101 338 107 546 Mitchell Starc 358 241 79 705 Wasim Akram 414 502 - 916 Jasprit Bumrah 173 149 89 411 Brett Lee 310 380 28 718 Dale Steyn 439 196 64 699 Shoaib Akhtar 178 247 19 444 Jofra Archer 42 46 33 121 Andrew Flintoff 226 169 5 400 Who Is the Yorker King? Best Yorkers in Cricket History Waqar Younis Image Source : ESPN The Pakistani legend of pace revolutionized fast bowling with reverse swing yorkers that defy the laws of physics. Even if you know it is coming, it does not help much against Waqar. His ability to bowl toe-crushing yorkers at incredible speeds above 150 km/h made him the original yorker king. Between 1989 and 2003, Waqar's yorkers accounted for more than 130 victims, and his signature delivery was the stuff of cricketing legend. Lasith Malinga Image Source : AFP Indeed, only Malinga can make an art of the yorker making him a yorker king, with his peculiar round-arm action and pinpoint accuracy. For hitting the blockhole consistently, especially in death overs, he had been termed "Slinga Malinga". Four wickets for four balls off successive yorkers against South Africa during the 2007 World Cup is still one of cricket's most spectacular achievements. The yorkers were hugely lethal in T20 cricket, where Malinga maintained an economy rate of 7.14 in death overs. Also Read | Fastest ODI Centuries by Indian Players: Top 10 Blazing Innings Mitchell Starc Image Source : Getty Images Starc's left-arm destruction combines raw pace with accurate yorkers that swing late and target the base of the stumps. He makes use of his height to exploit a bit more bounce from the wicket, making it even more challenging for the batsmen to handle his yorkers. In the 2015 World Cup, Starc was arguably the most successful yorker king at a mere average of 10.18 while picking up 22 wickets. Wasim Akram Image Source : PA Photos Akram's yorker couldn't be stopped, especially when he used to keep it till the end. The left-arm angle created further troubles for the batsmen as the ball swung in both ways at wicked speeds. His yorkering expertise witnessed a show in the final of the 1992 World Cup when he demolished the batting of England with two unplayable yorkers in successive deliveries. Jasprit Bumrah Image Source : BCCI Bumrah, indeed, has emerged as the yorker king since his cricketing days. While his unorthodox action made the batsmen struggle to pick yorkers, Bumrah's accuracy in death overs has been the stuff of legends. During the 2019 World Cup, Bumrah was instrumental in helping India maintain the lowest economy rate in death overs, which was not more than 4.65 runs per over. Brett Lee Image Source : Getty Images A sharp express pace combined with accurate yorkers made him one of the yorker king in cricket history. He could bowl yorkers at close to 150 km/h consistently, especially in death overs, so much so that he was Australia's go-to man in crunch situations. One of cricket's most memorable deliveries is the castle shot by Marvan Atapattu of Sri Lanka off Lee in the semifinal of the 2003 World Cup. Dale Steyn Image Source : BCCI Whatever the surface, Steyn's yorkers were a mix of seam and late swing, making them significantly murderous. His remarkable ability to steadily crank out yorkers in crunch situations proved him South Africa's yorker king for more than a decade. Perhaps the most vivid moment in his career came when he almost got Sachin Tendulkar with a perfect yorker in the 2011 World Cup. Shoaib Akhtar Image Source : PA Photos The Rawalpindi Express did not only rely on pure speed to scare batsmen, but he also delivered perfect yorkers at speeds of over 150 km/h. Akhtar's yorkers were especially deadly against tailend batsmen making him surely a yorker king, often leaving stumps scattered and toes broken. His famous yorker dismissing Rahul Dravid in the 1999 Eden Gardens Test remains one of cricket's most talked-about deliveries. Jofra Archer Image Source : Getty Images Archer has this natural aptitude for bowling yorkers at express speed, which has come in good stead for him to become England's death-overs specialist. His outing in the 2019 World Cup and those games thereafter provided evidence that he shall turn out to be one of the yorker kingcricket has ever witnessed. Archer demonstrated in the semi-final of the 2019 World Cup when, while bowling that perfect yorker to Glenn Maxwell, he can do this magic under pressure. Also Read | Top 10 Highest Scores in ODI Cricket History | Batting Brilliance in ODI Andrew Flintoff Image Source : Getty Images Flintoffs Yorkers were a heavy affair and ball started to swing at the last moment, making them very awkward to play. His spell against the Australians in the 2005 Ashes reminded everyone of his control over this delivery, which was self explanatory by the way he kept troubling batsmen throughout the series. Despite the injuries that beleaguered his career throughout, the yorker king did not lose its potency until his retirement. Conclusion The art of yorker has been continually defined with every new generation adding its own flavor to this very doom-laden delivery. While Waqar Younis set the gold standard for it and Lasith Malinga perfected it, at present, it is carried forward with innovations by modern bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah and Jofra Archer. In fact, the title of "Yorker King" is always something of a moving crown being passed from one generation to another so that this most dramatic of cricket deliveries continues to thrill audiences and terrorize batsmen in equal measure.That is the hallmark of a true yorker king - not just his ability to bowl that delivery but mastery over it at the right moments in the game. Be it Malinga's death-over specialties, Waqar's reverse-swinging thunderbolts, or Bumrah's precision under pressure-most of them have written their names in cricketing hall of fame through their exceptional command over the most challenging delivery in cricket. Then, as the game continues to evolve, these yorker kings will make their mark as great inspirations to generations of fast bowlers yet to come.