The cover drive in
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...
is the act of stroking the ball through the
covers with well-timed wristwork and conventional movement of the front foot toward the pitch of a delivery aimed at or outside the
off stump.
The cover drive is considered one of the most graceful shots playable in the sport. Batsmen able to master the cover drive are usually given especially high praise because of the shot's difficulty in execution and its requirement for exquisite timing. When played to perfection, the cover drive comprises a batsman's seemingly effortless wielding of the blade in a downward trajectory through the
off side
The off side is a particular half of the field in cricket.
From the point of view of a right-handed batsman facing the bowler, it is the right-hand side of the field, or the half of the field in front of the right-handed batsman when he or sh ...
, with the cricket ball gliding through infielders in the covers at pace toward the boundary at deep cover.
The stroke has historically been associated with gentlemanly play of the sport, particularly during the
Golden Age of Cricket in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries when England still
distinguished between amateurs and professionals.
[Mike Marqusee]
Anyone but England: Cricket, Race and Class.
Bloomsbury Press. During this era, amateurs, or aristocratic cricketers, some of whom played for the
Gentlemen, prided themselves on proper, conventional off-side play, including the front-foot cover drive. Professionals, or working-class cricketers, some of whom played for the
Players, were better-known for workmanlike shots through the leg side, including flicks around the wicket.
Ian Bell
Ian Ronald Bell (born 11 April 1982) is an English former cricketer who played international cricket in all formats for the England cricket team and county cricket for Warwickshire County Cricket Club. A right-handed higher/middle order batsm ...
,
Kumar Sangakkara
Kumara Chokshananda Sangakkara ( si, කුමාර් චොක්ශනාද සංගක්කාර; born 27 October 1977) is a Sri Lankan cricket commentator, former professional cricketer, businessman, ICC Hall of Fame inductee and the ...
,
Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar (; ; born 24 April 1973) is an Indian former international cricketer who captained the Indian national team. He is regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. He is the all time highest run-sco ...
,
Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli (; born 5 November 1988) is an Indian international cricketer and former captain of the India national cricket team. Widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time, Kohli plays as a right-handed batter for Royal Challe ...
,
Rahul Dravid,
Meg Lanning
Meghann Moira Lanning (born 25 March 1992) is an Australian cricketer who currently captains the national women's team. She has been a member of six successful world championship campaigns, winning two Women's Cricket World Cup and four ICC ...
and
Laura Wolvaardt
Laura Wolvaardt (born 26 April 1999) is a South African cricketer who currently plays for Western Province, Adelaide Strikers, Gujarat Giants and South Africa. She plays as a right-handed opening batter. She has previously played for Norther ...
are members of a select group of players who are widely considered as 'masters' of the shot with England’s Walter Hammond widely considered as having the finest cover drive ever.
See also
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Cricket terminology
This is a general glossary of the terminology used in the sport of cricket. Where words in a sentence are also defined elsewhere in this article, they appear in italics. Certain aspects of cricket terminology are explained in more detail in cr ...
*
Off side
The off side is a particular half of the field in cricket.
From the point of view of a right-handed batsman facing the bowler, it is the right-hand side of the field, or the half of the field in front of the right-handed batsman when he or sh ...
*
Fielding (cricket)
Fielding in the sport of cricket is the action of fielders in collecting the ball after it is struck by the striking batter, to limit the number of runs that the striker scores and/or to get a batter out by either catching a hit ball befo ...
*
Batting (cricket)
References
{{reflist
External links
How to play cover drive - CricketFundasCover drive basics video - WisdomTalkies Cricket terminology