King Kallis at nets to chill with the boys
• Son of Newlands shares his experience with Proteas
A familiar figure loomed large and in charge at SA’s net practice at Newlands on Sunday‚ and it was not Table Mountain.
It was instead athletically‚ healthily human‚ and he was neither practising‚ coaching‚ part of the press pack nor hunting autographs. In fact‚ he owns an autograph that has been hunted thousands of times.
Jacques Kallis signed a few on Sunday and submitted himself to more than a few selfies.
“He’s probably the greatest cricketer who has ever played and he’s in Cape Town‚” Russell Domingo said.
“For us not to get him down to practice would be stupid.”
Indeed. But what was Kallis doing? “He’s keen to come and watch and see what’s happening and share his experiences with some of the younger players who have never met him before‚” Domingo said.
“He’s just going to chill with the team for the day.
“It’s very informal. He sat in our team meeting and shared some of his stories and ideas. If there’s anything he’s picked up or anybody wants to chat to him about how they’re feeling about their game‚ talk to Jacques.
“He’s got all the experience in the world. He’s had ups and downs in his career.
“He’s had highlights‚ he’s had lowlights and he can share some of those.”
Kallis observed intently with the same unshakeable focus he had on the field and offered advice that was received as if he was Jimi Hendrix dispensing tips on playing guitar to buskers on the street.
He never got in the way but he also was never just another bloke in the nets. He was a tiger at home in his jungle.
“He’s Jacques Kallis‚” Domingo said with mock emphasis.
“A lot of guys think of him and go‚ ‘Jeez — can’t he play tomorrow? Is he available?’ ”
Alas‚ Kallis‚ now 41‚ retired in 2013‚ taking with him the experience he gained in 18 years and over 166 Tests.
But South Africans will be pleased to learn he spent a significant chunk of time in the nets closely watching Hashim Amla‚ an undeniably great batsman who has gone 11 Test innings without scoring a century.
To watch Kallis staring a hole through Amla with unnerving patience was its own exercise in concentration.
For two reporters who had asked for a word with Kallis and had been told they could have it‚ but only after practice‚ it was like waiting for Godot.
Happily‚ unlike Godot‚ Kallis eventually arrived.
“I grew up with ‘Hash’ so I know his game pretty well‚” Kallis said.
What did he impart to his former teammate?
“Just little things‚ little pointers that can help.
“Generally, he is hitting it as well as when I was playing.
“He’s got a few 40s; he just hasn’t kicked on. That happens.
“But he’s hungry. I wouldn’t be surprised if he went on and got a big hundred in the next Test match or two. That’s pretty much assured.” And more broadly? “When you go through good periods like we are going through now, don’t give it away‚” Kallis said.
“Take your mind back to India [last season‚ when SA lost the Test series 3-0] where we were struggling.
“The guys have learnt from that experience in terms of taking their form forward and not giving it away.”
With the second match of the series against Sri Lanka due to start the next day, it was no surprise that none of the home side’s fast bowlers turned their arms over in the nets on Sunday. It meant that‚ for a significant part of the session‚ the only recognised seamer was Kallis.
“As good a batsman as he was, we can always scrape together his runs‚” Domingo said. “But to scrape together the 15 or 16 overs he bowled [a day] is not that easy. It is one area where he has been missed.
“But it has presented an opportunity for a spinner to step up,” Domingo said.
“Instead of the spinner bowling 10 overs, the spinner’s now bowling 25 overs a day.
“His greatness probably limited the opportunities for a spinner.
“Having him not there now means the spinners have to front up,” Domingo said.
“Een man se dood is die ander man se brood.”
Which‚ directly translated‚ means one man’s bread is another man’s death.
Unless that man is Kallis‚ whose achievements will live whenever and wherever cricket-minded people break bread together.