Two of the greatest exponents of the arresting cover drive, one retired, the other still in ever so elegant action, looked on while a third member of the snootiest of cricket's clubs strutted their stuff at Newlands on Tuesday.

Batting's most deceiving stroke isn't as explosive as the full-blooded cut, nor as difficult to play as the on-drive, but it's more interesting than the dear old pull and not in the same modest ballpark as the lowly leg glance. But not all cover drives are created equal. Some seem to happen almost by accident, as if they've been bumped off a shelf. Others are essayed in the grand manner, all hypodermic backlift and hyperbolic follow through.