Jacques Kallis - The GOAT of All Rounders in Cricket

What happens when you combine the stats of Sachin Tendulkar as a batsman and Zaheer Khan as a batsman into one player. It’s crazy to think that such a player could ever exist, because that player would be one of the greatest payers ever. But, there’s one player who has achieved this in Test Matches, and is rightly hailed as one of the greatest cricketers of all time, Jacques Kallis. He was often compared with Sir Garfield Sobers for his technique and was regarded as GOAT during his playing days and could be the No. 1 player on the team with both, the bat and ball. His records are incomparable, as he was a true all rounder who always flaunted his skill in all three departments.

Credit: India Today

So, in this article by ZAP Cricket, let's dive deep and know about the life of Jacques Kallis, his career, and his overall stats. 

Jacques Kallis - Early life and Domestic Cricket Career

Born on 16th October, 1975 in western Cape Town, Jacque’s cricketing journey started at Wynberg Boys’ High School where he started playing his junior cricket. In 1993, Kallis was picked for South Africa’s U17 squad and from there he never looked back. He made his first class cricket debut in 1994 representing Western Province B. Selectors couldn’t ignore him for long as he possessed a unique talent of being a quality fast bowler and and had great bating technique. Next year, in 1995, he got a call for the senior national side as well. 

Jacques Kallis - International Cricket Career, Stats and Records

Kallis made his test debut on 14th December, 1995 against England. Within a month, he made his ODI debut as well. On 9th January, 1996  he played his first One Day match against England. His breakthrough came in 1997 with standout performances against Pakistan and Australia.

From 1998 to 2002, Kallis became one of the top all-rounders in the world, leading South Africa to an ICC Champions Trophy win and earning "Player of the Series" honors. By 2001, he was the top-ranked Test and ODI all-rounder.

Between 2003 and 2014, Kallis continued to break records, including scoring centuries in five consecutive Test matches and setting the fastest half-century in Test cricket in 2005. He was the only player to score over 10,000 runs and take over 200 wickets in Test cricket.

In 2005, Kallis won the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Player of the Year and was the top run-scorer for South Africa in the 2007 World Cup. He scored his highest Test score of 224 in 2012 and played a key role in South Africa's victories over top teams.

His last T20I was on 2nd October, 2012 against India and his last test match was also against India on 26th December, 2013. He scored a century on his final test and is among the few players who have achieved this feat. 

Later, in 2014, he retired from all the formats, after playing his last One Day International on 12th July, 2014 v Sri Lanka.

Jacques Kallis Stats - Stats, Runs, Centuries

Over his illustrious career, spanning 519 matches across all formats, Jacques Kallis scored an incredible 25,534 runs. His highest individual score was a 224 in Test cricket. Demonstrating remarkable consistency and skill, Kallis notched up 62 centuries and 149 half-centuries, underscoring his status as a batting powerhouse.

Kallis's contributions were not limited to his batting. He was equally effective with the ball, taking a total of 577 wickets. His best bowling performance came in Tests, where he achieved figures of 6 for 54.

Is Jacques Kallis the Greatest All Rounder of All Time in Cricket History?

Kallis without a doubt is one of the greatest all rounders of all time in all formats if not the greatest. He could do it all and in any format of the game, bat exceptionally well, be his team's frontline bowler and was a brilliant fielder. He truly is the best all rounder of all time in all formats combined. He transformed the South African team into a force to be reckoned with during his career. As the ultimate all-rounder who could have played for any side in any period of the game, Kallis was truly a gift to cricket. His stats are astounding and unmatched, and he served as the standard for many players on all teams with his performance. In addition, Kallis was a gentleman who always played fairly and maintained his composure throughout his illustrious career.

Also Read: Fast Bowling Techniques | Cricket Fielding Techniques

Jacques Kallis - IPL and Big Bash League Career

Jacques Kallis made his IPL debut in 2008. He was bought by RCB in the auction and represented the same franchise from 2008 to 2010. With Bangalore, his records were pretty decent as he played 42 matches and scored 1052 runs and took 23 wickets.

Later, in 2011 he was bought by KKR. He played for this franchise till the end of his career and was a vital part of the team throughout his remaining IPL phase. During the fifth edition of the IPL, he scored 407 runs and took 15 wickets and helped the franchise in lifting the trophy. 

Kallis also had a decent playing time in the Big Bash League. He represented Sydney Thunder in 2014-15 and in 2015-16. In total he played 16 matches there, scoring 372 runs and taking 10 wickets. He was even awarded Player of the series in Big Bash League 2014-15 for his spectacular contributions throughout the tournament.

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