Let's talk cover drives

[0RI0N]

We all know that the cover drive is one of the most beautiful cricket shots.Technical excellence mixed with panache and elegance are what we are talking about.
So which players would you pay to watch play that shot.
The usual suspects from 1990
M Waugh, Mahela, VVS, D Martyn,
Lara,Vaughan, S Fleming,Atapattu S Anwar, amongst others.
Martyn's placement,minimal footwork and outstanding hand eye co-ordination
Lara's huge extravagant execution
OR
Mahela and Vaughan's classical from the MMC textbook variety?

 

[Riggins]

martyn, asap!

 

[G.I.Joe]

I can't look past Tendulkar's. Highest ball speed off the bat to effort ratio. He doesn't seem to play it very often, but when he does, its orgasmic.

 

[Shri]

Sourav Ganguly's. Love all his shots on the off-side.

 

[Top_Cat]

Geoff Marsh.

Got some late 90's footage of Sachin which is sensational though.

 

[GIMH]

Vaughan

 

[Maximus0723]

No Sachin is not up there.

I like Salman Butt's.

 

[G.I.Joe]

No Sachin is not up there.

I like Salman's Butt.

Why isn't he up there?

 

[Maximus0723]

Why isn't he up there?

b.c he isn't as good as other guys like Vaughn. I have seen him get out and several occasions on those shots.

Point is, it's not his best shot.

P.S. I remember one. When last time Pakistan toured India, Sohail Tanwir got him from round the stumps. He was on like 33 runs of something.

Just my opinion bud.

 

[zaremba]

Gower
Vaughan
Blewett
Sangakkara
Martyn

 

[Lillian Thomson]

Barry Richards.

 

[Prince EWS]

Vaughan or Kallis IMO.

 

[Uppercut]

Tim McIntosh. Hit consecutive beautiful cover drives in that innings of 20 off about 160 last week. Was so out of the blue it impressed me more than any other cover drives ever have.

 

[Richard]

b.c he isn't as good as other guys like Vaughn. I have seen him get out and several occasions on those shots.

Point is, it's not his best shot.

Way to miss the point. The point is not "whose best shot is the cover-drive", nor "who is most likely to get it right when attempting the cover-drive" (and BTW I'd be FAR more confident in Tendulkar to do that than Vaughan). It's "whose cover-drive do you like the look of best". That's purely based on personal preference, there's no right and wrong.

And of those mentioned Damien Martyn was great off the back-foot but the fact that he basically didn't play a front-foot shot (like so many WAns he didn't really move his feet at all) precludes him for me as I enjoy the stroke off the front-foot more than back.

My faves have tended to be mostly mentioned already: Atapattu, Aravinda de Silva, Sangakkara (he can even make it look good off back-foot), Hussain, Tendulkar, Vaughan, Kallis, Gower, Saeed Anwar... probably some others I've missed.

 

[Jono]

b.c he isn't as good as other guys like Vaughn. I have seen him get out and several occasions on those shots.

Point is, it's not his best shot.

Sachin has plenty of shots that aren't his best shot, doesn't mean when he plays those shots it isn't attractive to watch. His best shot is the flick off the pads, which he is pretty much the best at. That doesn't make his cover drive, straight drive, uppercut over third man still awesome.

Sachin has a very attractive cover drive.

Hussey when he was in peak form could play a cover drive as technically perfect as you could get, though it wasn't as aesthetically pleasing as one played by Vaughan or Kallis.

Sanga's worth a mention.

 

[Shri]

Wouldn't be surprised if lefties got more votes in this thread.

 

[Furball]

Most over-rated shot in cricket.

 

[Richard]

What do you prefer then?

Apart from the flick through mid-wicket and maybe the pull I can't think of a shot I prefer see played well than the cover-drive.

 

[Shri]

I prefer the paddle sweep. Poetry in motion if executed well.

 

[TT Boy]

Kallis and Younis Khan when he use to play it extravagantly on one knee.