Jacques Kallis

For some Cricket is just another game and then there are others who make Cricket their life. Jacques Henry Kallis is one of those. This South African was born on 16th October, 1975 in Pinelands of Cape Town province.

Jacques Kallis has proved to be an asset to the South African team with his all-round capabilities. He truly is considered as one of the greatest all-rounder cricketers of the world and unarguably the best batsman. He is a right-arm fast-medium bowler and his spins are to watch out for. The only one in the history of the game to hold more than 9500 runs, 200 wickets and 100 catches, Jacques Kallis displays a potential second-to-none. Hence, it is without a doubt that ‘a Kallis wicket’ is most prized by the opponents.

The start of Jacques Kallis career was a slow, nothing like the fast-paced action he showcases on the field now. If anything, it was steady and consistent. He debuted in the December of 1995 playing against England in a test match. This was soon followed by a test match series against Australia where Jacques proved to be the cornerstone for his team. But the breakthrough of his career happened in November 1998 where Kallis showed some extra-ordinary potential and was the unprecedented star of the show. His all-round performances stole the show and soon Jacques Kallis had a huge fan base and rightfully so. Being declared the Man of the Match, the Man of the Series and the Player of the Year a number of times, it was no surprise when in 2005 he swept the number one ICC Player of the Year award yet again. At the 2007 World Cup, Jacques Kallis was the man with the highest scores with an astonishing 485 runs. Around the same time, Jacques Kallis also drew a lot of flak for his sluggish and undemonstrative approach on the filed.

The year of 2008 saw Jacques Kallis deliver some super performances in the Indian Premier League where he played for the Bangalore Royal Challengers team. At a strike rate of 124.00, Kallis made 31 runs (including 6 four’s) in 25 balls before he was run out.