A captain will never have another player to whom he can throw the ball and ask to lead the pace attack and also rely on to open the batting for his team. With mammoth figures of 25414 International runs, 577 International wickets and to top it up with 335 International catches (still counting), +Jacques Henry Kallis ( +Jacques Kallis | FC ) has been +Cricket South Africa’s go to man over the last eighteen years.
The big man from Pinelands, Cape Town has been the foundation on which Cricket South Africa has built upon. Kallis made his test Debut against England in the year 1995 at Kingsmead, Durban. (the same ground where he is playing his last test match). Averaging a mere 8 after his first 5 Test matches, Kallis was surely on the wrong foot in the path of his cricketing career. The belief shown in him by his teammates, Cricket South Africa and most importantly Kallis himself led steady improvement in his performance. It was only in the Year 1997 that he made his mark upon the International Arena with a fighting ton against the mighty Aussies at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
In Cricket, facing South Africa has often been regarded as an unfair match against a team of twelve because of Kallis’s ability to operate both as a Bowler and a Batsman, not only as a part time bowler but as one of the spearheads of the bowling lineup . And with his outstanding energy in the field, I will have to confess that it has been pretty unfair to the opposing teams over the years. Grabbing a total of 577 wickets in his International Career, Kallis makes it to the Top 20 wicket takers of all time; the numbers show how effective he has been with the ball in his hands.
Photo: Jacques Henry Kallis of South Africa celebrates after scoring a ton in his final test match against India.
Often called as the “Madiba” (Mandela) of Cricket, Jacques
Kallis is an exemplary person. His attitude and dedication towards the game has
made him a role model for millions of kids around the world. His Illustrious career
was and will still be only limited to a dream for many all around the world,
but he has converted the dream into a reality then and there. I personally am honored
to be a part of this Cricketing sensation’s legendary career and watching him
sign off with a hundred in his final Test Innings is a moment to savor. Looking
at this rock solid innings from Kallis, I wonder if it really is the time for
him to bring this wonderful journey to an end. But you’ve got to respect the
big man’s decision and just enjoy him in the test arena for one last time.
Although Kallis has decided to leave Tests behind, we will still have the
pleasure of seeing this legend perform in the shorter format of the game. He
has decided to push himself to the limits and has set his sights for the 2015
+ICC Cricket World Cup in Australia/ New Zealand. If the Proteas were to succeed
in the tournament, he would without any doubt be a key factor in the South
African Lineup. Bringing the World Cup
back to the rainbow nation would certainly be the fitting end to the marvelous career
of the most complete player to ever have played the game and my personal favorite,
King Kallis!
doodleon is a Cricket enthusiast who regards Kallis as the greatest cricketer of all time.
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