The cruellest nicknames in sport

Jimmy Leach
Tuesday 28 July 2009 15:39 BST
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The return of Ian Bell to the England side to replace Kevin Pietersen means the return of one of the better nicknames to the England side.

For those tired of the friendly but predictable KP, Straussy and Freddie, the joy is in the derogatory monicker. Shane Warne's mocking of Bell during the 2005 Ashes series as The Sherminator – the weird geeky kid from the American Pie films, was a part of what the Aussies used to delight in as 'mental disintegration' – and Bell had a poor series.

Click the image on the right to launch our guide.

Without Warne, the mockery is unlikely to have as much impact but it does recall some of the better mockery in sport.

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