4 reasons why Jacques Kallis is considered the greatest cricketer of this era

Legendary cricketer Jacques Kallis recently turned 40Jacques Kallis is probably one of the rarest cricketers in the world, who is envied equally by batsmen and bowlers worldwide. Bowlers, for a long time, considered his wicket as a huge prize and as for batsmen, his batting became the only thing for them to worship. Kallis’ batting may have drawn comparisons with another legend Sachin Tendulkar, and his bowling with Aussie quick Glenn McGrath, and so there is no denying that when it came to his all-around abilities, he was right on top.The calm, broad-shouldered cricketer with his presence on the field, intimidated opposition worldwide, yet he was the gentleman par excellence on and off the field. His brave exploits on the cricket field with both bat and ball is something which is talked about with immense respect and admiration among the cricketing fraternity.The rare combination of his rock-solid technique with the bat and his lethal pace bowling, made him the perfect classical sportsman in the quick-paced generation. He earned the status of a legend very early on in his career. Kallis was already the leading all-rounders in cricket, just two years after he made his International debut he had already showed glimpses of his greatness.The legend of Jacques Kallis will live as long as the game of cricket. As the veteran turns 40, we take a look at 4 reasons why he is widely considered to be the greatest of all time.

#1 The greatest all-rounder ever

Kallis-An extraordinary all-rounder

It is widely said that there won’t be another all-rounder like Jacques Kallis in the world of cricket. Kallis’ brilliance with the bat and the ball was noticed early on in his career. In 166 Tests, the 40-year averaged more than 55 with the bat, ending up with 13289 runs and he stands a proud third on the list of leading run-scorers in Test cricket. He also has 45 Test hundreds to his name, placing him only second on the list of most hundreds by a cricketer, after India’s Sachin Tendulkar.

In ODIs too, his record is equally impressive. In 325 ODI matches, Kallis has managed 11574 runs, which included 17 centuries and a staggering 86 fifties. When it came to his bowling, the numbers still continue to impress fans. He has claimed 292 wickets in Tests and 273 more in ODIs.

He is the only player in cricket history to achieve the mark of 10,000 runs in Tests & ODI each and take more than 200 wickets in the Tests and ODIs each. With such mind-boggling stats, there is little doubt about who the greatest all-rounder of all time is, and his records will stand against history, untouched for a long, long time.

#2 The magnificent Team man

Kallis led from the front with his match-winning performances

Apart from his extraordinary all-rounder skills, Kallis was a born leader and lead the team from the front on many occasions with his match-turning performances. He was highly regarded by his teammates in the dressing room, and earned immense respect. For so many years, Kallis had established himself as the team-man and also the go-to man for South Africa.

Be it with the bat or ball, whenever the Proteas were in dire straits, Kallis always stood up for the team and silently delivered, thus pushing his side into a commanding position. Over the years, he has quitely piled up runs and taken wickets, without seeking much credit for the same, and that’s what perhaps seperated him from the other bunch of cricketers, making him an all-time great.

#3 South Africa\'s highest run-scorer in Tests

Highest run-getter for the Proteas in Tests.

The biggest gift that Kallis could ever receive in his International career was the fact that most of his runs were taken for granted, which allowed him to be more consistent in the Test arena and thus, score more runs than ever. The veteran finished his wonderful career as the leading run-scorer for South Africa in Test cricket, amassing 13,289 runs at a stunning average of over 55.

Very early on his career, his batting was compared to many great cricketers because of his solid, defensive technique which was second to none. As years passed, there wasn’t much change in his batting technique and he continued to be a nightmare for the opposition bowlers. He tested himself in the crucial number 3 position in the batting order and never looked back.

Kallis is the highest run-getter for South Africa in the ODI format as well, and has the most Test centuries by a South African. In all, the legendary batsman has 62 hundreds to his name, of which 45 have come in the longer format of the game.

#4 Flexibility as a cricketer

Kallis was perhaps the most flexible cricketer ever

It is true that Kallis very well adapted himself to the number 3 slot. But such was the stature of the man that, when required, he batted at every position for South Africa. Yet, that neither stopped him from scoring runs as before nor did it affect his game.

There have been many instances when Kallis was sent in by his captain to open the innings and contribute for his team. Like a true gentleman, he always obliged. Even when he had to bat lower down the order, Kallis never had a problem and still displayed his class by scoring heavily.

His bowling is often compared to that of the Aussie bowler Glenn McGrath. Kallis was someone who could generate significant amount of pace and could amazingly swing the ball both ways. Towards the twilight of his career, Kallis could also successfully bring the reverse swing into play.

Considering his magnificent flexibility and versatility, not many cricketers could showcase such exemplary skills with both bat and ball, which again undermined his stature as the greatest and most complete cricketer of this era, and perhaps even ever to have ever lived!