Jacques Kallis - Cricket

Vange Shrimper · Aug 19, 2007

As i've been out of the country for a few days, I come back to find that Kallis has been ommited from South Africa's Twenty20 tournament. He is one of their best players and one of my favourites, and I just dont understand why they've done it.

Does anyone know or heard why SA have done this? And also because of this, he's resigned as vice-captain. They've made one big mistake with this.

BLUEBLOOD · Aug 19, 2007

The SA selectors feel he doesn't score his runs quickly enough to warrant a place... their justification was a poor World Cup in the 50 over format, strange decision, as IMO he's a fine fielder and more than useful bowler.

Vange Shrimper · Aug 19, 2007

BLUEBLOOD said:
The SA selectors feel he doesn't score his runs quickly enough to warrant a place... their justification was a poor World Cup in the 50 over format, strange decision, as IMO he's a fine fielder and more than useful bowler.

They also have the selection format over there that they have to pick so many coloured/black players as well. I wasnt sure if that had something to do with it.

Mark Boucher has got in trouble now for sticking up for Kallis. Got a disclipinary soon after his comments in a national paper.

canveyshrimper · Aug 20, 2007

Vange Shrimper said:
They also have the selection format over there that they have to pick so many coloured/black players as well. I wasnt sure if that had something to do with it.

Mark Boucher has got in trouble now for sticking up for Kallis. Got a disclipinary soon after his comments in a national paper.

In this instance the quota system is not to blame. Amazingly the Protea selectors deem that Kallis, one of the best all rounders in the world isn't good enough.

Kallis in turn has resigned the vice captaincy of the Test & ODI side, and it's believed he is thinking of coming to England to play as a bloody Kolpak player.

Yorkshire Blue · Aug 20, 2007

Whilst respecting him, Kallis has never been one of my favourites. He is undoubtedly a very, very good batsman I feel he just lacks that extra bit of class to be a great batsman. I've always felt he was a typical South African bully, scoring runs a plenty against the likes of Zimbabwe but not showing up so much against the best bowling attacks, or bottling it.

He'd still get in pretty much every team in the world.

I wouldn't be too upset with him coming to play county cricket as it would be a great experience for young players to play against him. Not sure how much his team-mates would benefit, as his reputation isn't as the cleverest cricketer to have ever played.

Exiled Shrimper · Aug 20, 2007

Yorkshire Blue said:
Whilst respecting him, Kallis has never been one of my favourites. He is undoubtedly a very, very good batsman I feel he just lacks that extra bit of class to be a great batsman. I've always felt he was a typical South African bully, scoring runs a plenty against the likes of Zimbabwe but not showing up so much against the best bowling attacks, or bottling it.

He'd still get in pretty much every team in the world.

I wouldn't be too upset with him coming to play county cricket as it would be a great experience for young players to play against him. Not sure how much his team-mates would benefit, as his reputation isn't as the cleverest cricketer to have ever played.

I don't think the portrayal of Kallis as a flat-track Bully is entirely fair. True, his average against Autralia is 'only' 38.32 compared to career figures of 55.09 with the bat, but in the past couple of series he's averaged 43 and 50 against the Aussies, and his record in Australia, where in theory it would be more difficult to play, as opposed to South Africa, is better, avaraging almost 49.

It's the same against the three other strong sides in world Test cricket in recent years - against England he averges 47, improving in home series to 50 in 1999/2000 and 69 in 2004/5; against India he averages 64 and against Pakistan 43, but 68 in 2002/3 and 54 in 2006/7. Indeed, his career stats point more towards an uncertain start and then a generally sticky periods between 2002 and 2004 against the best in the world.

Indeed, Kallis' career stands up very strongly against his other real contender foe the best all-rounder in the world crown, Freddie Flintoff, averaging over 20 more runs per innings than Flintoff with a negligably better bowling average (31 compared to 32) as well. The only opposition, perhaps tellingly, where he fares significantly worse with the ball is Australia and Pakistan, pointing towards Freddie's own liking for the big occasion. And it when Kallis' bowling lets him down that SA struggle to win Tests...

For what it's worth, I'd love to see him play in England, but not as a Kolpak player. The whole situation is getting completely out of hand, with southern hemisphere players desperately seeking relatives in the EU to maintain an overseas presence in the County game. With the ECB always tinkering with the numbers of overseas players permitted (it's back down to 1 next season), we'll never know just how much difference it makes to the English Test side, but I don't think 1 or 2 genuine overseas players, of a high Test standard, will threaten the English game. Teams fielding 4, 5 or 6 including Kolpak signings, will.