Jacques Kallis - Five greatest performances of the South African legend
Glancing through five of the best performances of the South African all-rounder who remains one of the greatest to play the game.
If only statistics were the basis of evaluating the cricketer’s talent then there would be no doubt that Jacques Henry Kallis would be the greatest international cricketer to play the game. Till date, the South African all-rounder is the only cricketer in the history of the game to have scored more than 10,000 runs and to have taken more than 200 wickets in both Tests and ODIs.
Born on 16th October 1975 in Cape Town, Kallis was a popular player in his school team of Wynberg with his all-round skills. The stocky cricketer earned his Test and ODI debut for the nation in early 1996 but failed to impress straight away. It took around two years for Kallis to come into his own and show the world what talent he possessed.
Over the years, Jacques Kallis became the symbol of stability as he adapted his game to be the anchor in the South African batting lineup. While other batsmen played their natural game, the all-rounder grafted his way to ensure team’s safety first. Contributing with both bat and ball, the South African legend soared high into the list of world-class players. Before retiring in 2014, Kallis was named as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the year in 2013.
The all-rounder has provided numerous brilliant performances in his stellar career. Here are his five best performances.
#5 Standing tall against Warne and Mcgrath to save the Test - 1997
The greatest test of Jacques Kallis’ patience and temperament came fittingly against the most formidable opponent. In the opening Test of the 1997-98 series against Australia, South Africa was trapped in a corner as they needed to bat out the fifth day against a fearsome Aussie bowling lineup to save the match.
Batting on an overnight score of 40, Kallis anchored himself on the pitch and denied the Australian bowling attack every opportunity of sneaking back in the Test. The number three batsman held the fort for almost six hours and scored a magnificent 101 against the bowling attack that comprised of Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, and Michael Kasprowicz.
The game was ultimately drawn and Jacques Kallis was named as the Man of the Match. The South African cricket discovered a new hero who would save them from danger for the next 16 years.