All Out Cricket columnist Andrew Bloxham ponders why Jacques Kallis isn’t considered the greatest batsman of his generation, when statistics suggest otherwise.
Twenty years on since South Africa’s re-admission to world cricket following their exclusion due to the government’s policy of apartheid, the Proteas are now standing tall alongside the other behemoths of the game.
South Africa have never been short of talented cricketers; prior to the sporting boycott of the nation in 1970 they were represented by undoubted greats of the game in the form of Graeme Pollock and Eddie Barlow to name but two, and since their return numerous world-class performers have donned the olive green cap.
Jacques Henry Kallis is perhaps South Africa’s greatest ever performer and, it could be argued, sits right up there alongside Sir Garfield Sobers as the greatest allrounder cricket has ever seen, boasting an incredible 40 Test centuries (second only to Sachin Tendulkar) at an average of 57.43 (at the time of writing).
Add 270 Test wickets at an average of 32.01 into the equation and the fact that Kallis is the only man to have scored in excess of 10,000 runs and taken in excess of 250 wickets in Test cricket, and you’ve got yourself one heck of a cricketer.
Why then, does debate amongst cricket supporters often see Jacques Kallis being ranked below the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Brian Lara and Rahul Dravid when discussing the greatest batsmen of his era? Even without considering his all-round ability, Kallis has a batting average superior to any of the aforementioned and also holds the lowest number of innings per half-century ratio of the group (2.62 innings per half-century, with Tendulkar second at 2.66).
Initially, I believed it to be a reflection of Kallis’ batting style. Cricket is, after all, an entertainment business. To the purist, Kallis’ solid but unspectacular technique fails to set the pulse racing, and few would choose to watch him before the sublime majesty of Tendulkar, that West Indian flamboyance of Lara, the poise of Dravid or the tenacity of Ponting.
History has a tendency to be kind to pioneers and entertainers and unfortunately for Jacques, he fits neatly into neither category. When assessing the greatness of a batsman, however, surely style alone should not count against a man whose record stands up to those of his seemingly more illustrious contemporaries? There has to be something deeper and more significant as to why this titanic run-machine hasn’t received his dues.
When racking my brains for a possible explanation as to what makes these batsmen so great, I began trawling through the stand out innings that each have played – whether that be an innings that alters the outcome of a series, an innings that turns a match on its head, or an innings that simply sets a new precedent against a formidable attack.
If we cast our memory back to the Sydney Cricket Ground in January of 2006, the above point becomes particularly relevant. The two greatest batsmen on display in this game, Kallis and Ponting, both had significant success. Kallis scored 111 in the first innings, followed up by 50 not out in the second. For his part, Ponting, made 120 in the first dig and struck a matchwinning 143 not out in the second. Statistically, you couldn’t argue with either performance. The manner in which the runs were compiled, however, presents an entirely different outlook.
During that first innings, it was clear that Jacques Kallis and South Africa were desperate for a big first innings total, betrayed by their snail-like run-rate of less than three runs per over. Conversely, Ponting came out and made his 120 from 174 balls, a brisk enough strike rate for sure. That is of far less consequence to the debate than the second innings, however.
After taking a first innings lead of 92 runs, South Africa’s batsmen were required to really push on in order to declare and set Australia an imposing target whilst giving themselves enough time to take the 10 wickets needed for victory. Herschelle Gibbs went about this task in the right manner – making 67 from 74 balls before falling – but his partner Kallis looked far more concerned with playing for his average in crawling along at a strike-rate of barely 50. Upon setting Australia a difficult chase of 287 in 76 overs, Ponting strode to the crease and blitzed 143 from just 159 balls to lead Australia to an unlikely victory.
That Test match, to my mind, is a prime example of why Ponting will always be rated as a greater batsman than Jacques Kallis, despite many of the statistics suggesting otherwise. It is also potentially the key reason as to why Kallis is rarely regarded in the same league as the other extraordinary aforementioned batsmen.
In short, Kallis has spent many years of his career being a great accumulator of runs, as opposed to a matchwinner. There have been signs of late that he has attempted to reverse this trend but he may just have left it too late in the day in terms of enhancing his reputation. This might help explain why such a magnificent batsman may be placed on a slightly lower pedestal than his esteemed contemporaries, despite having a record that stands shoulder to shoulder with the best of them.
All Out Cricket has teamed up with sports forum 606 v2 to discuss the game with thousands of like-minded cricket fans. To debate this article and hundreds of other topics, check out 606 v2 today.
The Curious Case Of Jacques Kallis
All Out Cricket columnist Andrew Bloxham ponders why Jacques Kallis isn’t considered the greatest batsman of his generation, when statistics suggest otherwise.
Twenty years on since South Africa’s re-admission to world cricket following their exclusion due to the government’s policy of apartheid, the Proteas are now standing tall alongside the other behemoths of the game.
South Africa have never been short of talented cricketers; prior to the sporting boycott of the nation in 1970 they were represented by undoubted greats of the game in the form of Graeme Pollock and Eddie Barlow to name but two, and since their return numerous world-class performers have donned the olive green cap.
Jacques Henry Kallis is perhaps South Africa’s greatest ever performer and, it could be argued, sits right up there alongside Sir Garfield Sobers as the greatest allrounder cricket has ever seen, boasting an incredible 40 Test centuries (second only to Sachin Tendulkar) at an average of 57.43 (at the time of writing).
Add 270 Test wickets at an average of 32.01 into the equation and the fact that Kallis is the only man to have scored in excess of 10,000 runs and taken in excess of 250 wickets in Test cricket, and you’ve got yourself one heck of a cricketer.
Why then, does debate amongst cricket supporters often see Jacques Kallis being ranked below the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Brian Lara and Rahul Dravid when discussing the greatest batsmen of his era? Even without considering his all-round ability, Kallis has a batting average superior to any of the aforementioned and also holds the lowest number of innings per half-century ratio of the group (2.62 innings per half-century, with Tendulkar second at 2.66).
Initially, I believed it to be a reflection of Kallis’ batting style. Cricket is, after all, an entertainment business. To the purist, Kallis’ solid but unspectacular technique fails to set the pulse racing, and few would choose to watch him before the sublime majesty of Tendulkar, that West Indian flamboyance of Lara, the poise of Dravid or the tenacity of Ponting.
History has a tendency to be kind to pioneers and entertainers and unfortunately for Jacques, he fits neatly into neither category. When assessing the greatness of a batsman, however, surely style alone should not count against a man whose record stands up to those of his seemingly more illustrious contemporaries? There has to be something deeper and more significant as to why this titanic run-machine hasn’t received his dues.
When racking my brains for a possible explanation as to what makes these batsmen so great, I began trawling through the stand out innings that each have played – whether that be an innings that alters the outcome of a series, an innings that turns a match on its head, or an innings that simply sets a new precedent against a formidable attack.
If we cast our memory back to the Sydney Cricket Ground in January of 2006, the above point becomes particularly relevant. The two greatest batsmen on display in this game, Kallis and Ponting, both had significant success. Kallis scored 111 in the first innings, followed up by 50 not out in the second. For his part, Ponting, made 120 in the first dig and struck a matchwinning 143 not out in the second. Statistically, you couldn’t argue with either performance. The manner in which the runs were compiled, however, presents an entirely different outlook.
During that first innings, it was clear that Jacques Kallis and South Africa were desperate for a big first innings total, betrayed by their snail-like run-rate of less than three runs per over. Conversely, Ponting came out and made his 120 from 174 balls, a brisk enough strike rate for sure. That is of far less consequence to the debate than the second innings, however.
After taking a first innings lead of 92 runs, South Africa’s batsmen were required to really push on in order to declare and set Australia an imposing target whilst giving themselves enough time to take the 10 wickets needed for victory. Herschelle Gibbs went about this task in the right manner – making 67 from 74 balls before falling – but his partner Kallis looked far more concerned with playing for his average in crawling along at a strike-rate of barely 50. Upon setting Australia a difficult chase of 287 in 76 overs, Ponting strode to the crease and blitzed 143 from just 159 balls to lead Australia to an unlikely victory.
That Test match, to my mind, is a prime example of why Ponting will always be rated as a greater batsman than Jacques Kallis, despite many of the statistics suggesting otherwise. It is also potentially the key reason as to why Kallis is rarely regarded in the same league as the other extraordinary aforementioned batsmen.
In short, Kallis has spent many years of his career being a great accumulator of runs, as opposed to a matchwinner. There have been signs of late that he has attempted to reverse this trend but he may just have left it too late in the day in terms of enhancing his reputation. This might help explain why such a magnificent batsman may be placed on a slightly lower pedestal than his esteemed contemporaries, despite having a record that stands shoulder to shoulder with the best of them.
All Out Cricket has teamed up with sports forum 606 v2 to discuss the game with thousands of like-minded cricket fans. To debate this article and hundreds of other topics, check out 606 v2 today.