THE JACK OF ALL TRADES

“He excelled in everything. So he couldn’t excel in anything.”

That sums up the career of the greatest cricketer that the world has ever seen. Jacques Kallis, the Jack of all trades, has excelled in every aspect of the game be it batting, bowling, fielding or even sportsman spirit. His figures are exceptional. 13174 runs at an average of 52.12. 292 wickets at an average of 32.43. And to top it all, 199 catches. What more can you ask from a cricketer?

Yet he has never been in the run for cricket’s greatest. Ask about the greatest batsman and Sachin’s name comes up. Ask about the greatest all rounder and Sir Gary Sobers it is. Some of the arguments are quite funny. In a Sachin-Kallis competition for the greatest batsman it is the numbers that come into play. Sachin has more than 3000 runs and 7 centuries more than Kallis. The fact that Kallis has played 34 tests (and 6 years) less than Kallis is forgotten.

 But in a Sobers-Kallis debate for top all-rounder, people tend to overlook the figures and give importance to the averages. Another argument is that pitches are more batting friendly these days. Then why does Kallis has more wickets than Sobers? Some would say it is because he has played more games. But truth is that Kallis has bowled 1000 deliveries less than Sir Sobers.

So why is Kallis never considered for the top slot? The answer is simple. He is not dashing. He has been the anchor for South Africa just like Dravid was for India. And such players seldom win many fans. And fans count in any show biz. Why else would he be ignored for the Spirit of Cricket award in 2011? Kallis ‘walked’ twice in the World Cup after accepting that the fielders who took contentious catches were telling the truth. In a game where men do not walk even after knicking the ball, this gesture was worth applauding. Yet all the adulation went to Team India for first controversially getting Ian Bell out and then calling him back after lunch. Is that really the spirit of cricket?

The retirement of Jacques Kallis from Tests is also exemplary and should be a role model for others. Kallis is already second in the list of most centuries & most catches and fourth in the list of all time run getters. These were records he had a realistic chance of breaking if he had continued for another year or two. Besides there was also the milestone of becoming the only cricketer to get 13000 runs and 300 wickets. Yet he decided to forsake all these records for the sake of preparing for the World Cup. In a game where even great players try to extend their careers in the hope of achieving meaningless milestones, the retirement of Kallis comes as a breath of fresh air.

The World Cup had been his greatest dream and he had seen it slip through his fingers more than once. 1999,2003 and 2011 would be nightmares that any South African would want to forget. If he wanted another shot at the World Cup, Kallis knew that he had to sacrifice his Test career. His body could not stand the stress of playing in all formats for too long. So he decided to shun all those gettable records for one more chance at getting that elusive Cup. And when he saw that it didn't work he retired gracefully. Hats off to a great player and a true gentleman.

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 Greatest catch ever