legendary South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis celebrated his 48th birthday on October 16, 2023. Considered to be one of the all-time greatest all-rounders in the world, he is often seen at par with Sir Garfield Sobers.
Kallis made his South Africa debut in 1995 and made an immediate impact. He was a technically perfect batter and a nippy, more than medium fast pacer, who could bowl a mean bouncer and yorker. He proved to be a great support to the Proteas bowling lineup led by Allan Donald and Shaun Pollock at first. And then played second fiddle to Makhaya Ntini and Dale Steyn.
He had an excellent career throughout in which he showed his longevity with both the bat and the ball. In 166 Tests, Kallis made 13289 runs and picked 292 wickets, with 45 centuries to his name. In 328 ODIs, Kallis made 11579 runs and picked 273 wickets with 17 centuries. He excelled in T20Is as well, scoring 666 runs and taking 12 wickets in 25 matches.
Here are the 5 Best performances of Jacques Kallis’ international cricket career:
5. 101 vs Australia- 1st Test, Melbourne 1997
This was the first Test of the series between Australia and South Africa during the 1997-98 series which was played in Melbourne. Australia batted first and posted 309 in 1st innings riding on Ricky Ponting’s 105 and Steve Waugh’s 96. In their first innings, South Africa posted 186 runs with Gary Kirsten making 83.
Australia then piled on the lead scoring 257 runs in the second do, setting South Africa a target of 381 runs. Though Paul Reiffel and Shane Warne gave Australia quick wickets, Jacques Kallis in the early stages of his career, partnered with Hansie Cronje and kept the Australians at bay. He scored 101 in 279 balls with only 6 fours, which was his maiden Test century. South Africa managed to draw the Test, finishing on 273/7. He was also named the Player of the Match for this knock, which displayed his immense talent
