Oct 15, 2001 06:45 PM
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An all rounder is probably the most important player in a team.The player who lends the much needed balance to the team.Someone who can score runs at the top of the order and while bowling take a couple of wickets and put the opposition on the backfoot rightaway.There are quite a few all rounders in world cricket today.But one man stands head and shoulders above the rest,Jacques Kallis.
Jacques Kallis did not have a very eventful start to his test career.he scored only 39 runs in his first 6 innings .He even played in the 1996 WC.But the selectors were non too impressed by his performances and he was quickly relegated to the background.but genuine talent cannot be kept under wraps for too long and Kallis was back in the team .Probably the turning point in his career was the 2nd test match at the MCG on their last tour to Australia.It was a last day pitch and Warne was spinning the ball quite sharply.Kallis hung in there gamely ,scored 102 and helped the proteas save the match.From then on he's gone from strength to strength and now boasts an avg. of 46.38 in test cricket.He is one of the very few batsmen in world cricket who boasts an average of above 40 in both forms of the game.Who can forget that 96 he scored against the indians in the WC. The proteas were 2 down for virtually nothing.But Kallis took the attack to the Indians and in the end the South Africans were home in a canter.He has often been accused of 'slow batting'[a la Dravid].But more often than not he has made the critics eat their own words.
The most improved aspect of his cricket has been his bowling.He started out his career as a stop gap bowler someone who would bowl a few overs of seam up just to allow donald and pollock to get back their breath.But the ICC mini world cup final changed all that.He came on to bowl at a very difficult time took 5 wickets and turned the match right on its head.Critics were forced to sit up and take notice.he hasn't looked back since and is now very close to the 100 mark in both versions of the game[not bad for a guy who started out as a batsman].But probably the most underrated aspect of his game is his fielding.He just stands there at slip and gobbles up catches with ridiculous ease.He is the true successor of Brian McMillan in the slip cordon.
Whether Kallis is crashing a cover drive or he is rattling the stumps over with a yorker there is a touch of class in whatever he does on the cricket field.Above all he is a team man to the core.He is well on his way to be the 'best all rounder of all time'.As I said earlier he is every captain's dream[wish india had him!!]
