Jacques Kallis' 3 best knocks post international retirement

Jacques Kallis is widely regarded as one of the best all-rounders and cricketers in the history of the game. He holds the record for the most Man of the Match awards in Test cricket (23) among many others and has starred both for his national side and in franchise cricket commitments, most notably for RCB and KKR in the IPL.

Since announcing his international retirement in 2014, he has taken up a few coaching roles while also taking part in exhibition matches and other competitive games. He's currently part of the US Masters T10, playing for the California Knights.

In a match against the Texas Chargers, the 47-year-old Kallis rolled back the years to score an unbeaten 31-ball 64 that powered his side to 158/1 in 10 overs.

This isn't the first time he has impressed with the bat post his international retirement. Let's look at three of his best knocks post his international bow.

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#3 56*(43) - World Giants vs Asia Lions, Legends League Cricket Masters 2023

Jacques Kallis was part of the World Giants side in the Legends League Cricket 2023 that took place in Qatar earlier this year. He slotted in at No. 4 behind the likes of Chris Gayle, Hashim Amla, and Shane Watson.

In an all-important group stage match against the Asia Lions, he stitched a 105-run partnership with Hashim Amla to bail the Giants out of trouble, helping his side finish with a defendable total of 150. While Amla was dismissed for 68, Kallis remained unbeaten on 56 off 43 balls.

3-wicket hauls from Tino Best and Chris Mpofu helped the World Giants win comfortably by 20 runs.

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#2 78*(54) - World Giants vs Asia Lions, Legends League Cricket Masters 2023

Jacques Kallis was in fine form in the Legends League Cricket Masters 2023.

As a result of their win in the match highlighted in the previous sections, the two sides faced off yet again in the Finals of the Legends League Cricket Masters 2023. Once again, the World Giants batted first, and once again, it was left to Jacques Kallis to save them.

Morne van Wyk and Lendl Simmons couldn't make up for the absence of Gayle and Amla as the World Giants lost early wickets. With Watson also getting out for a duck, WG were in a spot of bother at 19/3 in the sixth over when Kallis and Ross Taylor joined hands.

The duo put on a 92-run stand and even after Taylor's dismissal, Kallis continued scoring runs, finishing with an unbeaten 54-ball 78, leading the Giants to 147/4.

Unfortunately for them, half-centuries for both the Asia Lions openers, especially a 28-ball 57 from Upul Tharanga killed the game off quickly, resulting in an easy win for the Asia Lions. It nevertheless remains a top knock from Kallis.

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#1 90*(37) - Royals vs Palace Diamonds, St. Moritz Ice Cricket 2018

In a very fascinating event on the Swiss cricketing circuit, many of world cricket's greatest players took to the field in a two-match series of exhibition matches played on an ice cricketing field.

The St. Moritz Ice Cricket 2018 saw two sides, the Royals and the Palace Diamonds, face off in a T20 game on ice. Jacques Kallis, Graeme Smith, Daniel Vettori, and Shoaib Akhtar were part of the Shahid Afridi-led Royals, while Andrew Symonds, Mike Hussey, Lasith Malinga, and Mahela Jayawardene were part of the Virender Sehwag-led Palace Diamonds.

The Royals won both the matches and while Owais Shah was the star in the first game, it was Jacques Kallis who bossed the second one. The Proteas all-rounder put on a batting masterclass, scoring an unbeaten 90 runs off only 37 balls, helping the Royals chase down 206 in only 16.4 overs.

He took down the likes of Ajit Agarkar, Ramesh Powar, Zaheer Khan, and Lasith Malinga with ease, showcasing once again why he's regarded as one of the best to ever play the game.