Greatest test XI of the modern era

#5 Jacques Kallis

Jacques Kallis – an unsung hero of modern cricket

Jacques Henry Kallis is the modern day equivalent of Sir Gary Sobers. He may not be glorified as heavily as modern day batting maestros like Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara but his feats in test cricket are no less remarkable.

Considering the number of runs and hundreds Kallis scored, it is unfathomable as to why the debate of the ‘greatest modern day test batsman’ rarely features his name and mostly revolves around only Lara and Tendulkar.

Very much in the classical mould, his batting technique was almost flawless and a delight to the game’s traditional lovers. His rock-solid batting often kept the bowlers at bay for a very long time.

While his pristine batsmanship is more than enough to earn him a ticket to greatness, his bowling skills make him a multi-faceted cricketer. South Africa’s most dependable batsman and a key component of the bowling attack, Kallis shouldered the burden of multiple roles in the team.

When statistics alone is taken into consideration, Kallis wins the title of ‘the greatest all-rounder’ hands down.

With a tally of 13289 runs, Kallis is the third highest run getter in test cricket behind Tendulkar and Ponting. And then, there is the small matter of 292 test wickets and 200 catches, which makes him an incredible all-rounder. Kallis is indispensable to this side for his awe-inspiring all-round feats.