SUNDAY MUSINGS
tle snippet about two promising allrounders emerging in South Africa by the names Shaun Pollock and Jacques Kallis – both fast bowlers who could more than just bat.
During the next England tour of South Africa in 1995 both these young cricketers made their debuts. Pollock who had better cricketing blood in his veins played from the first test while Kallis made it into the side in the third Test. The third test match was washed off in three days and Kallis launched his Test career with one run, batting in the middle order.
If the cricket careers of both Ponting and Tendulkar raged like wildfire from the very onset capturing the imagination of fans, the career of Jacques Kallis slowly ignited. Like good old wine it matured with time.
He was an allrounder, who batted in the top order and a frontline bowler who delivers his stock ball at 145+ km.
Kallis was also not the most handsome stroke maker who makes the pavilion go ‘wow’ with his cover drives. Yet, like the other two men he also put a heavy price on his
T20Is
wicket. He launched his career on December 14, 1995 against England at Durban and ended it on December 30, 2103 against India also at Durban. During the 18 years that he made his presence felt in the Test arena he accumulated 13,289 runs at an average of 55.37 with the highest score of 224 while amassing 45 centuries and 58 half centuries.
He may have scored only one run at his debut, but he scored a match-winning hundred in his closing inning, a feat which the other greats failed achieve.
Besides, he has bagged 292 Test wickets and also held 200 Test catches – no ordinary performance, especially when you are a top order batsman who once batted at number 3.
There was another aspect to his career. Undoubtedly he is the best contemporary allrounder. But, for some time there have been arguments as to who could be the best allrounder ever. Is it Sir Gary Sobers, Kapil Dev, Imran Khan, Ian Botham, Shane Watson or Jacques Kallis?
There are bowlers who could bat. Then there are batsmen who could bowl. But, cricketers who could shine in all three departments equally are, of course, a rare breed and the void created by Kallis is really a great loss to Proteas’ cricket.
But, as a whole the contribution made by the three cricketing greats would be incomparable.
I only hope cricketers of this calibre would be born in the future too. If not, the game that we love may suffer.