Jacques Kallis

Jacques Kallis — Jacques Henry Kallis (born 16 October 1975) is a South African cricketer. As an all-rounder he is a formidable right-handed batsman and fast-medium swing bowler. He is one of the greatest cricketers of all time, particularly all-rounders, being the only cricketer in the history of the game to hold more than 10,000 runs and 250 wickets in both one day and Test match cricket. From October–December 2007 he produced a streak of five centuries in four Test Matches; with his century in the second innings of the third test against India in January 2011, his 40th in all, he moved past Ricky Ponting to become the second highest scorer of Test centuries, behind only Sachin Tendulkar who currently has 51 centuries. He was named Leading Cricketer in the World in the 2008 Wisden for his performances in 2007 in addition to being the “ICC Test Player of the Year” and ICC Player of the Year in 2005. He has been described by Kevin Pietersen and Daryll Cullinan as the greatest cricketer to play the game.

Jacques Kallis is one of the most reliable all-rounders that the South African side possesses. A dependable batsman and a bowler in testing times, he has put up crucial yet less spectacular performances for his team. He is a fine slip fielder and has the knack of playing a variety of strokes.

The right hander has been a lucky charm throughout his stint with the South African team; he debuted against England on 14 December 1995. His international career was sluggish initially, however it has been rampaging in the last decade. In the 2003-04 series against the West Indies, Kallis got a hundred in each of the four Tests. As a bowler, he has claimed many five and four wicket hauls. His records boast the likes of Gary Sobers, as he is one of the few cricketers to amass huge number of runs as well as wickets in both ODIs and Tests. He has portrayed himself as the toughest both mentally and physically.

Kallis scored the highest number of runs for South Africa during the 2007 World Cup with 435 runs to his credit. However, he was criticized for his slow innings and was eventually dropped for World Twenty20 in 2007 at home. But he proved his mettle again after he was recalled to the team for the Pakistan tour in 2007.

Kallis founded the Jacques Kallis Scholarship Foundation which promotes a combination of academic and life skills programmes in schools. His achievements are many and he has been awarded the ICC Test Player of the Year 2005, ICC Player of the Year 2005 and Wisden Leading cricketer of the Year 2007.