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Yesterday, we wrote about Steyn and Tendulkar, but there’s another modern great on display in that match.
Like Tendulkar, Jacques Kallis seems to have reached an even loftier plane in middle age. You’ll need to go to another website to see the statistics about his recent form, but take it from us, they’re phenomenal.
In this innings, it was 64-4 and then 98-5; India were on one of those rolls where the match suddenly goes from nought to sixty in a split second; and he had a knacked up side muscle. None of this mattered. Jacques Kallis was going to score a hundred.
Comparisons are odious but informative and it’s worth noting that although Sachin Tendulkar has about 3,000 more Test runs than Kallis, the latter’s average is superior (57.43 compared to 56.54). For a man who’s only recorded one double hundred in his Test career, that average speaks of unparalleled consistency, even if it also betrays an occasional tendency to play the anchor when that role is unwarranted.
Throw in the “reluctant” acquisition of 270 Test wickets and an appearance in the world’s first 100% great advert and you’ve got a very special cricketer.
Today though, it was all about his immovability at a key moment in a crucial and difficult match. That’s worth more than the numbers.
Kallis is a walking valium. The title of the post should actually read “Kallis would genuinely score more runs than you but you will have your eyes closed anyway”.
Good call, KC, to acknowledge the man.
Kallis has never been second to any batsman in terms of defence, patience and concentration. So if you were battling to save a game, he’d have to be right up there at the top of one’s list…along with Dravid and Steve Waugh during their prime.
But though his average is marginally better than Tendulkar, Lara and Ponting…it’s his career SR of 44 that, I believe, keeps him from being spoken of in the same league.
But as an all-rounder…he’s second to no man in modern Test match cricket.
To be fair, Kallis has tried batting without being able to see it before.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-1oA29fWBo
Interesting…just noted that Kallis has 38 not outs. Second only to Steve Waugh and Border…46 and 44, respectively.
He is such a stud:
He is a monster for runs, catches and wickets.
He has a full head of luscious hair.
And he has got two hundreds in this game without fielding for a single ball.
He’ll spend India’s second innings in a comfy chair being massaged and brought drinks.
That is manliness of Laurence Elderbrook proportions.
that tendulkar ball that got boucher out was dirty.
absolutely filthy.
Would be even greater if he was a team player. Almost as selfish as Boycott.
BP-doesn’t that make him ‘third only’?
Hate Kallis, and hate the fact he is actually good. But that was a genuinely good innings today, not one of those “I’m a boring spiritless turd” ones.
It’s hunker down time.
Spent the early part of the evening with a couple of Saffers who would no doubt applaud KC’s article and deride some of the hateful comments. I’m with KC on this one,
Anyway, it was a bacon and cheese salad supper for me, washed down with the fraction of that Sauv Plonk bottle from yesterday. No more grub for me, apart from perhaps a little more of that fruit.
Listening to my newly-acquired Ramsey Lewis Trio CD – how did I live without this amazing sound all of my life until now? Will seem rude to interrupt Ramsey, but in less than 10 mins the Ashes call.
I’m on e normous’ side here. Find Kallis impossible to warm to and hard to admire despite his frankly ridiculous stats. I much prefere to just watch that beautiful link Howe Zat provided and chuckle to myself.
collingwood announces his test retirement
Greatest Saffer ever or is that Pollocks? Yeah I mean Graham Pollock. Yes. He was less selfish in this series, upping the tempo when left with the tail. Only one test ton v Oz between 1998-2005. Get ur stats and waffle here:
http://pavilionopinions.blogspot.com/2011/01/form-is-temporary-kallis-is-permanence.html
That makes me a sad Panda.
Excellent clapping from Haddin there for Prior’s century.
Maybe because its his home country or may be because India doesnt have a steyn, one cannot ignore the fact that Kallis’s centuries has been lot smoother than tendulkar’s. Tendulkar had a lot of luck and would have almost got out 4 times during his century.
Dandy Dan…right you are. 🙂
RK…yup, Kallis had fewer plays and misses…but as you noted, the SA pacers bowl 10-15K quicker and get at least a foot more in bounce. And that man Steyn!!! Isn’t it against the spirit of the game to bowl leg-breaks at 140K??? And then soon after bowl bouncers at 145K!!!
Legendary Test match this!
woo, that was brilliant stuff from flintoff. I’d forgotten what he could be like. but there’s got to something up with that sightscreen issue – he can’t possibly be the first tall person to bowl from that end, can he?
am strangely emotional at Colly’s retirement
am also wondering with the Ashes series and the Ind v SA series, if this is the best period of test cricket for some time. I can’t remember 2 series happening simulatneously that I’ve enjoyed so much. I feel like mr Creosote just gorging myself on cricket at the moment
“just one more wafer thin cricket match”
“no I can’t”
“oh go on it’s only a wafer thing 20/20 match”
It took the IPL to make me change my views on Kallis. I used to think of him as an effective but unwatchable batsman of Steve Waugh proportions. Then he started playing for “my” team and became Mr. Dependable – can’t get him out, can’t get him away, and can’t get past him in the field.
It may just be familiarity, but his batting seems to have become more fluent in the past 2 years. Still as effective, but now merely unattractive as opposed to unwatchable.
We like the ‘unattractive as opposed to unwatchable’ distinction.
What a compliment.
I was just thinking about the Kallis advert the other day. Good to see it getting another airing.
Whaat? I liked Waugh’s batting. Collingwood’s too, btw. Much rather have that than frickin Alastor Cork
eeh