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Ian Bell names himself as the best player of the cover drive over Kohli and Babar, and you know what? He’s probably right

by Wisden Staff June 29, 2021 - 2:57pm 2 minute read

Ian Bell, regarded as one of the most elegant batsmen to have played for England, was recently asked to pick the best player of the cover drive. Perhaps surprisingly, Bell picked himself but then can you blame him?

The former England batsman was asked by ESPNCricinfo to construct his “perfect batter”, with a shot to access each of the eight segments of a cricket field, with most of his answers as you’d expect.

For the straight drive, Bell picked Indian maestro Sachin Tendulkar, while he selected his former captain Alastair Cook as possessing the perfect cut shot. While Ben Stokes was termed as the best player of the reverse sweep, Jos Buttler walked away with the best player of the scoop shot. Kevin Pietersen was selected as the best player who could hit maximums down the ground, and Rohit Sharma the best player of the pull. Joe Root was another Englishman on the list, with Bell backing him as the player with the best sweep.

However, what caught the eye was his selecting himself as being the best player of the cover drive in the game. “[I] will go with myself. There are a few good ones now — Babar Azam I like. Virat Kohli, obviously I have a lot of time for — but I’ll get myself in there.”

Can you blame him?

The batsman was blessed with a style that often left those watching in awe. There was a grace and beauty in his shots, with a caressed Bell cover drive coming as close as possible to perfection. In fact, so effortless did he look when at his best, that Bell is viewed by some as a slightly unfulfilled talent, despite averaging 43 and making 22 Test hundreds. But when it clicked, numbers vastly exceeding those looked in reach. Itwouldn’t be a hyperbole to state that his cover drives perfectly defined the term “poetry in motion.”

Still not convinced? Let Bell and his cover drives do the convincing for you!