Advertisement
Advertisement
Pakistan’s batting maestro Babar Azam once again found his name echoing in elite cricketing circles, this time during the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023–25 final between Australia and South Africa at Lord’s.
It wasn’t his innings that sparked conversation this time, but his iconic cover drive, a stroke that has long been admired by purists, which became a point of analysis during the commentary by former England captain and seasoned broadcaster Nasser Hussain.
While dissecting the technical shortcomings that led to the dismissals of Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne and South Africa’s Ryan Rickelton, Hussain invoked the elegance and precision of Babar’s signature shot.
“Well, the cover drive is one of the most pleasing shots on the eye. You think of Ian Bell, Virat Kohli and Babar Azam,” Hussain remarked on air, drawing parallels between the grace of greats and the flawed execution that cost both batters their wickets.
He then elaborated using South Africa’s Temba Bavuma as a technical reference point, explaining how the coordination of the hands is critical when playing the cover drive.
“Rickelton, his hands worked against each other, and that closes the bat’s face slightly, and you nick it. Same here with Marnus Labuschagne — look how he loses control of his bat handle and bat face,” Hussain observed.
Notably, this isn’t the first time Hussain has showered praise on the iconic cover drive of Babar Azam.
Back in 2022, the former England skipper had gone a step further, calling it the most textbook version of the shot and one he would use to teach young boys the fundamentals of batting.
“I’m going to be biased here, sorry Indian fans, but I’m going for Babar Azam’s cover drive,” Hussain had said then. “It’s totally exceptional. If I’m teaching a young boy, I’d definitely ask him to watch Babar’s cover drive.”
READ: PCB considering former all-rounder for Test head coach role: sources
