Jacques Kallis is retiring today (Dec 30, 2013) from Test cricket at the age of 38. He will continue to play One Day International and T20 cricket.
Hats off to a magnificent all rounder and a wonderful athlete. The way he carried himself on and off the cricket field is remarkable.
Kallis is a true champion and a great role model for future generations. Thank you Kallis for inspiring us for two decades. Today, as I watch South Africa beat India in the Durban test, I cannot think of a better send-off for Kallis.
1. South Africa beat India convincingly 2. Kallis scored a century in this test 3. He completed 200 catches in test cricket in this game
As I watch him retire, I did some analysis to compare Kallis with other greats in cricket. I’ve shared it in this post. This analysis was done using R, Shiny and Ruby.
Best all rounders in Test cricket history
Over the years, Kallis gave his team a critical advantage and a wonderful balance as an allrounder. South Africa could pick an extra batsman or a bowler depending on the opposition and the conditions.
Kallis and Sobers stand out in all round performance in Test cricket history
Kallis has performed as well as a successful specialist Indian batsman and a successful specialist Pakistani bowler combined in One Day cricket.
Jacques Kallis = Sourav Ganguly + Abdul Razzaq
ODI cricket batting
Mat
Inns
NO
Runs
HS
Ave
BF
SR
100
50
4s
6s
Ct
St
Jacques Kallis
325
311
53
11574
139
44.86
15866
72.94
17
86
911
137
129
0
Sourav Ganguly
311
300
23
11363
183
41.02
15416
73.70
22
72
1122
190
100
0
Kallis = Sourav Ganguly in One Day Cricket (Batting)
Mat
Inns
Balls
Runs
Wkts
BBI
BBM
Ave
Econ
SR
4w
5w
10
Jacques Kallis
325
283
10750
8680
273
5/30
5/30
31.79
4.84
39.3
2
2
0
Abdul Razzaq
265
254
10941
8564
269
6/35
6/35
31.83
4.69
40.6
8
3
0
Kallis = Abdul Razzaq in One Day Cricket (Bowling)
So who is the best all rounder? Kallis or Sobers?
ESPN’s analysis of Kallis and Sobers
Is it Kallis or Gary Sobers? I won’t get into the religious debate of declaring him as the best all rounder in test cricket history. Sobers and Kallis are both great all rounders – prolific run scorers and threat to the opposing batsmen.
I’ve had the privilege of watching Kallis in my lifetime and he is a great athlete – a batsman and a great bowler rolled into one. His performance in both Test and One Day cricket has been stellar. He’s clearly the best all rounder in One Day cricket, and gives Sobers tough competition in Test.
Kallis is the best all rounder in One Day cricket history
Kallis batting performance in One Day cricket
Hope South Africa and international cricket find someone of Kallis’ stature.
Reference: espncricinfo.com (some images and player statistics)
