6 players who play the straight drive to perfection

6. Mahela Jayawardene

Mahela Jayawardene is regarded as one of the best players of his generation. A sweet timer of the ball, Jayawardene is blessed with immaculate technique and loads of patience. Equally adept of both the front and back foot, he is particularly at ease driving the ball down the ground.  That is often achieved with minimal footwork but precise placement and timing. His vertical bat swings remind you of a school boy using the scale to draw straight lines. A team man to the core, he is credited for developing many of Sri Lanka’s youngsters into better cricketers. Apart from his artistry, what stands out about his batting is his hunger for big scores, apparent triple century in a record 624 run partnership with Sangakkara in 2006 against South Africa.