10 Great Jacques Kallis Moments for South Africa
Jacques Kallis celebrated his 39th birthday on 16 October 2014. While he might have retired from the international game, he will continue to play T20 cricket around the world.
As with all great players, it’s always worth looking back at Kallis' career to celebrate some of his best moments. For nearly two decades, Kallis was a mainstay of the South African side in all formats.
Picking just 10 of his greatest moments is an arduous task, and there will almost certainly be innings that have slipped through the cracks.
Add your favourite Kallis moments in the comments.
1. Scoring His Debut Ton vs. Australia on Boxing Day, 1997
Playing in only his seventh ever Test, against an attack with Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne, Jacques Kallis scored a second-innings hundred which probably helped South Africa draw the Test.
It was an arduous effort which saw him spend 357 minutes at the crease while his fellow batsmen were fumbling.
This was a sign of things to come and set the tone for a long career.
2. 113 off 100 vs. Sri Lanka in the 1998 Champions Trophy
The 1998 Champions Trophy features twice on this list, mostly because it was the only limited overs trophy Jacques Kallis ended his illustrious career with.
South Africa were batting first in the semi-final against Sri Lanka, and Kallis hit an unbeaten 113 off 100 to help the Proteas post 240.
Rain intervened, and South Africa beat Sri Lanka by 92 runs on the D/L method.
3. Taking 5-30 in the 1998 Champions Trophy Final
Still with the Champions Trophy of 1998, Kallis followed up his semi-final batting exploits by taking 5-30 in the final against the West Indies.
He scored just 37 runs, but South Africa won the match to lift their first and only ICC trophy to date, and Kallis showed once again why he was such an invaluable asset to the Proteas team.
4. 53* and 2-15 Against New Zealand in the 1999 World Cup
For most of South Africa, the 1999 World Cup is something they have put out of their memories.
However, when you glance through the record books, Kallis' performance against New Zealand at Edgbaston will stand out.
South Africa were batting first, and after openers Gary Kirsten and Herschelle Gibbs got off to a good start, Kallis hit an unbeaten 53 off just 36 balls to help propel his team to 287.
He followed up his batting by opening the bowling and taking 2-15 to help South Africa to a 74-run victory.
5. Scoring 5 Test Tons in 5 Tests
During the 2003-04 season, Kallis hit some really good form which saw him score five hundreds in five consecutive Tests.
The first four came against the West Indies in South Africa, and he followed them up with an unbeaten 150 away from home in New Zealand.
The highlight of that run of form was almost certainly the New Year's Test of 2004. Kallis notched up two scores of 130 not out in the same Test.
South Africa only managed a draw in that match, though.
6. All-Round Ace vs. India, 2006 in Durban
Leap forward a few years and we're in Durban, where South Africa are playing India.
Captain Graeme Smith is out early, and Jacques Kallis walks out to the middle. He scores an unbeaten 119 off 189 balls to help South Africa post 248 runs.
He's the only batsman in the team to manage more than 42 runs and one of just two to get past 25.
As if the batting feat wasn't enough, he also takes three wickets for three runs and finishes with the man of the match award as South Africa win by a massive 157-run margin.
7. A Pair of Hundreds in Karachi vs. Pakistan, 2007
Facing Mohammed Asif and Umar Gul is no easy task, especially not when they are playing on their home soil.
However, for players like Jacques Kallis, it's a joy.
On a sticky wicket in Karachi, Kallis notched up his 25th Test ton, scoring 155 off 249 balls to help South Africa to 450 in the first innings.
He followed it up with a match-winning 100 off 201 in the second innings as South Africa clinched a 160-run victory.
8. His First Double Hundred in 2010
Many believed that the double hundred would never happen for Jacques Kallis. For years and years, he tried and failed to get that monkey off his back.
It finally came against India at Centurion, with South Africa winning the Test by an innings and 25 runs.
He followed that up with two more hundreds against the same team, both of them coming in Cape Town. A year later, he scored his second double hundred against Sri Lanka on his home turf at Newlands in Cape Town.
9. 182* vs. England at the Oval in 2012
The Oval Test of 2012 is mostly remembered for Hashim Amla's triple century. However, Kallis also contributed to South Africa's total of 637-2 declared.
England was always a country Kallis somewhat struggled for runs in, and at the end of his career, it remains one of the countries where he averaged the least.
That's why his unbeaten 182, where he played a solid supporting role to Amla, is so memorable.
10. A Hundred in His Final Test in 2013
To the surprise of many, Kallis announced before the 2013 Boxing Day Test that he would retire from the longest form of the game.
Having struggled for form, going over a year without scoring a century, Kallis ended his career with 115 against India in Durban.
South Africa won by 10 wickets, and their all-time greatest player received a fitting sendoff for being one of the most respected servants of the game for a very, very long time.