Player Profile(no.5)...Jacques Kallis(South Africa):

Player Profile...Jacques Kallis(South Africa):





South Africa is home to some of the most revered and well known people on the planet. It is also known for the beautiful savannahs and rich abundant wildlife, the High Veldt, and its sporting prowess in sports like Rugby union and of course Cricket. In regard to cricket there have been a number of players that have been given the tag as the worlds’ best whether it be all-rounder, bowler or batsman, and one player that has blossomed to prominence in all forms of cricket is Jacques Kallis.

This brilliant efficient batsman burst onto the scene in 1995 when he made his Test
Missed the first Test of South Africa's tour of Australia at the end of 2005 with an elbow problem, struggled facing Brett Lee at Melbourne and was hampered by the injury in making a patient and crucial 111 in the first innings at Sydney. Added a slow, unbeaten half-century in the second innings as South Africa contemplated their declaration and ended with an average of 61.33. Stood in as captain for the gut-wrenching third Test in a return series at home recently, and was the lead South African batsman in a bowler-dominated contest. A fighting 114 out of a total of 267 at Durban highlighted his series return of 227 runs and seven wickets. With Graeme Smith ruled out for 12 weeks with an ankle injury, Kallis was named captain for three ODIs and a Twenty20 against Zimbabwe at home ahead of the Champions Trophy in October.

Against India at home at the end of the 2006, Kallis topped the ODI run tally on either side with 168 at 84, including an unbeaten hundred, but managed only one fifty in the Test series. Against Pakistan just after that, Kallis continued to amaze with his all-round feats. He was the leading run-scorer of the series and his bowling was vital in a weaker attack at Newlands. In the ODIs, he hit two crucial half-centuries and topped the averages. At the 2007 World Cup, Kallis was South Africa's highest run-scorer with 485, but drew further criticism for his sluggish approach at the crease. Failed in the semi-final against eventual winners Australia. Kallis was not included in the South African side for the Twenty20 World Championship at home in September.

It was, however, no surprise to see him live up to his reputation after being recalled to the side for short tour of Pakistan towards the end of 2007. After back-to-back Man-of-the-match titles there really was only one contender for Man of the Series, and Kallis continued his excellent form with hundreds and wickets in series against New Zealand and West Indies at home. Kallis's continued run of prolific scores helped him displace Mohammad Yousuf from the second position in the rankings for Test batsmen, and Kallis also extended his lead in the rankings for Test allrounders, where he moved in first place ahead of Andrew Flintoff.

The 13 or so years that Jacques Kallis has been around for has provided the cricketing world with excellent entertainment and has been a pleasure to watch both his bowling and batting throughout his career. Over those 13 years he developed from an ordinary cricketer to one that will have legendary status for years to come, and from his development it can be said that if one puts in the hard yards they can achieve anything and in Jacques Kallis’s case he has achieved a career any sports enthusiast would be proud of and the fact that he put alot of work into refining his techniques in all forms of the game proves the passion he has for the game.







*Acknowledgements to Cricinfo.com, Andrew Miller and Jamie Alter