After the months of Sachin Fever, it was perhaps a relief that the retirement from Test cricket of Jacques Kallis came with only a few weeks' notice and neither frantic reorganisation of match schedules nor exclusive ticket sales to businessmen or Bollywood royalty. I've nothing against Tendulkar, as readers of this blog will know, but the Indians gave their man a circus not a respectful departure.
The Little Master was no more a flashy showman than Kallis but the South African all-rounder has always played cricket the way he was in real life. As he said in his farewell press conference, he's never been a man for the media. A quiet, unflappable personality with an uncomplicated batting and bowling style, he was never a player who sought records. It doesn't matter; he achieved them anyway!
For most of his eighteen years in international cricket, the man from Pinelands was the rock on which South African successes were built. Graeme Smith played a similar role as opener but, while the likes of Cullinan, Amla and de Villiers went for their strokes, Kallis was a brilliant number four. The side could build sizeable innings around him and his was the wicket opposing bowlers really wanted, an accolade deserving of the very best batsmen. That's not to say he couldn't play some attractive, even extravagant shots, and his IPL experience brought out his more creative side. Of course, a world-class batsman will always be an asset in any form of cricket, and that's what Kallis has been for the ebst patr of two decades.
Like anyone with 166 Test, 325 ODI and 25 T20 international appearances, life at the crease wasn't always a bowl of cherries. He experienced some thin periods with the bat, especially at the start. He made just one run on his debut at home to England and didn't bowl a ball in a rain-affected draw at Durban. He reached double figure figures just once in his first seven innings but when recalled to play the Boxing Day Test against the great Aussie side of 1997, his inaugural century defied McGrath and Warne in their pomp and saved South Africa from defeat at the MCG. He had purple patches, too, notably in 1999, 2003-4, 2009 and 2010-11. A lean spell in 2013, allied to a reduced pace with the ball, probably prompted his decision to quit five-day cricket but, unlike Tendulkar, he finished his career with a typical gutsy century.
So there you had Jacques Kallis the world-class batsman: 13,289 runs, 45 centuries (beaten only by Tendulkar, who played many more matches) and an average of 55.37, inferior only to Sangakkara of the modern greats. He averaged 55+ in most parts of the world, including the perennially tricky India and Pakistan. Only England and Sri Lanka proved more problematic. His average in Zimbabwe, helped by the opposition's inability to get him out more than once in four attempts. was a quirky 503! However, I haven't yet mentioned Kallis the bowler. He was one of the rare all-rounders who was worth his place with bat and ball. With him in the side, South Africa effectively had twelve men at their disposal. Many genuine all-rounders do not last as long as specialists, but JK kept going until the age of 38. Remember, too, he aims to be available for selection for the 2015 World Cup squad, so is not yet ready to end his playing days completely.
As with the bat, Kallis was never the one you feared at the start of the match. Donald, Pollock, Ntini, and now Steyn, Morkel and Philander were usually considered the dangerous new-ball merchants. His average of 32.65 is not spectacular, yet not much worse than Jimmy Anderson's, and he is rightly rated one of the best of the current crop. His figures also bear comparison with Zaheer Khan, another top pace bowler of the past decade. Jacques' Test best figures are also a relatively modest 6-54, achieved against England ten years ago at Headingley. Yet, he ploughed on, accumulating wickets before Virat Kohli became his 292nd and final victim at Jo'burg. In his farewell match, Jadeja became the 200th man to offer Kallis a catch, more than anyone else in Test history not keeping wicket.
Is he the best cricketer who ever lived? Possibly not. Is he the best all-rounder? Statistically, yes. Impossible to compare effectively with the likes of Grace, Rhodes and others from that early era, of course. However, he stands comparison with Keith Miller and Gary Sobers. The West Indian was the more flamboyant batsman; could you envisage Kallis attempting to hit anyone for six sixes in an over?! However, Kallis was a far better bowler, tidier and more thoughtful. He was a brilliantly safe slip fielder, while Sobers was a more electrifying outfielder in his youth in the Caribbean tradition of Lloyd, Richards et al.
ANyway, it was lovely to watch not a tickertape parade arond the boundary but a more restrained display of respect and celebration from JK's genuinely appreciative team-mates. For the awards ceremonies, they all bore T-shirts bearing a picture of Kallis in celebratory bowling mode. Afterwards each player seemed determined to have their photos taken with the great man, their colleague. Kallis was probably bemused by this show of hero worship by players many of whom he has known for years. That affection speaks volumes, more than the statistics and record books.
Kallis leaves the Test team sitting on top of the world rankings with a great squad and a winning attitude. From that point of view, he may not be missed. However, without Kallis, SA will now have to play once more with eleven and not twelve men.
