Let's talk cover drives

[Zinzan]

Best cover-drivers off the front-foot...

D Martyn
M Vaughan
M Crowe
M Waugh

 

[Maximus0723]

Also, Alec Stewart.

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.

Fair point.

 

[G.I.Joe]

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

Good call.

 

[Blakey]

Best cover-drivers off the front-foot...

D Martyn
M Vaughan
M Crowe
M Waugh

Yep Crowe with the DF in full swing, followed by a glorious hook.

 

[fredfertang]

 

[NZTailender]

Prefer the andmark, tbh.[/contribution]

 

[Furball]

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.

I'll admit there are few better shots to watch than the cover drive, but aesthetics is over-rated. Give me an "ugly" batsman who gets runs and toughs it out over an aesthetically pleasing underachiever.

 

[zaremba]

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.

Very true.
Marcus North can play the shot too.

 

[zaremba]

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.

My top shots:

All sorts of drives - cover, straight, on

Late cut (although it gets ruined when Mark Nicholas is commentating as he gets his most pompous voice out and calls it "an old fashioned back cut" every single ****ing time)

Robin Smith's square cut

 

[Burgey]

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.

On drive for mine. Harder to execute imo as well, but then I'm a leftie so the angle doesn't help.

M Waugh had a great cover drive to watch. Vaughan too. Used to especially like it when Vaughan played it and off stump cartwheeled.

All time, from old footage I've seen, Frank Worrell FTW.

 

[Burgey]

My top shots:

All sorts of drives - cover, straight, on

Late cut (although it gets ruined when Mark Nicholas is commentating as he gets his most pompous voice out and calls it "an old fashioned back cut" every single ****ing time)

Robin Smith's square cut

Haha - Robin Smith's square cut was ****ing brutal.

 

[zaremba]

Used to especially like it when Vaughan played it and off stump cartwheeled, a split second before the umpire's call of "no ball" echoed around the ground

Yeah we agree on that one mate.

 

[Pothas]

My top shots:

All sorts of drives - cover, straight, on

Late cut (although it gets ruined when Mark Nicholas is commentating as he gets his most pompous voice out and calls it "an old fashioned back cut" every single ****ing time)

Robin Smith's square cut

Grew up on that shot, used to have a sticker of him playing it stuck on the front of my bat

Never managed to play it myself of course.

 

[Pothas]

M Waugh had a great cover drive to watch. Vaughan too. Used to especially like it when Vaughan played it and off stump cartwheeled.

Used to hate/love Vaughan's face when he got bowled by some fairly non descript pace bowler, looked like he had smelt something particularly odious.

That and his bloody long strap will forever me by my memories of him.

 

[andyc]

Prefer the andmark, tbh.[/contribution]

 

[chicane]

So many batsmen play the shot well though. I remember watching Vusi Sibanda and Xavier Marshall playing some very good looking cover drives.

 

[roseboy64]

Sarwan does it well.

 

[Black_Warrior]

Cover drive is such a beautiful shot, many batsman play it beautifully.

If I was pressed, I would perhaps pick Mark Waugh and Mohammad Yousuf, they both have this lazy elegance about them seem to do it so effortlessly. Also why typing lazy elegance, I was reminded of Mahela Jayawardene.
Add Anwar, Yuvraj, Gibbs, Vaughan to that.

 

[bagapath]

anwar, sachin, mark waugh, martin crowe and de silva all had gorgeous cover drives. saw few shots played in that region by walter hammond on youtube. he is capable of winning the title hands down.

 

[DingDong]

anwar, sachin, mark waugh, martin crowe and de silva all had gorgeous cover drives. saw few shots played in that region by walter hammond on youtube. he is capable of winning the title hands down.

hey bagapath can u pls post a link to this hammand fellow's cover drive pls?