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NEWS India-South Africa Series 2006>The importance of Jacques Kallis 15th Nov 2006 22.14 IST By Manish Kumar A dogged right-handed batsman and a fast-medium bowler who can swing the ball both ways off a good line and length, Jacques Henry Kallis holds utmost importance for South Africa. Kallis made his first-class debut in 1993/94 and his first Test appearance was in December 1995 against England at Durban, but he struggled with the bat in his first few matches.
Regardless of style, Kallis has a very impressive batting average of over 55, and is rated as one of the best batsmen in the world. Although still a very capable bowler with over 200 Test wickets, he has impressed mostly with the bat in recent years. In 2004 Kallis became only the second player in Test history (after Sir Donald Bradman) to make a century in five consecutive matches. In 2005 Kallis set the record for the fastest half-century, as measured by balls faced, in Test cricket history, scoring 50 against Zimbabwe off only 24 balls. That Kallis holds this record belies his reputation as a defensive, unadventurous batsman of the old-fashioned type. In 2005 Kallis was awarded the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for the ICC player of the year. Kallis shared the award with Andrew Flintoff – his only serious competitor as the world's leading all-rounder, after the votes of the academy were tied. Kallis also won the ICC Test Player of the Year award. With 24 Test centuries, Kallis has the maximum number of centuries by a South African. Kallis is the only cricketer in the history of the game to hold more than 8,000 runs and 200 wickets in both Test and One Day International cricket. Sanath Teran Jayasuriya has achieved that feat in ODIs but not Tests, and Garfield Sobers achieved it in Tests only. As one of the most enduring batsmen of his generation, Kallis' wicket has become arguably the most prized in Test cricket, with the exception of Sachin Tendulkar , Rahul Dravid and Ricky Thomas Ponting . As Kallis, Sachin, Dravid and Ponting are in their early 30s, with time on their side, they are seen to be in a race for the world record tally of Test runs, held by West Indian great Brian Lara . Today, Kallis is one of the world's finest all-rounders and one of the most dominant forces in world cricket. He is a near-complete player, basing his game on the perfect execution of the basics before using his knowledge and skill to win game after game for South Africa. Also View In-Depth Coverage: India-South Africa Series 2006 Team Page: India Team Page: South Africa | LIVE CRICKET COVERAGE NEWS ~ Gilchrist has no plans to retire after World Cup ~ Ganguly's new batting approach may cost him sixer record ~ India 'squash the Orange' in World Cup warm-up game ~ Symonds gets a new hairdo for World Cup ~ Dhoni readies himself for stand-up act at World Cup (more in NEWS) FACE-TO-FACE ~ 500-mark a possibility in World Cup: Hayden ~ Minnows add charm to World Cup: Dravid (more in FACE-TO-FACE) COLUMNS ~ Will Sri Lanka replicate 1996 World Cup success? (more in COLUMNS) OFF-THE-FIELD ~ Ganguly again the darling of corporate world ~ Ganguly roped in as brand ambassador of Puma (more in OFF-THE-FIELD) PLAYERS Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble (more PLAYERS) TEAMS India, South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia, West Indies, Zimbabwe, England, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Kenya, Holland | 
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