Just a few more runs ...
Every time Jacques Kallis falls short of the 200 barrier in Test cricket I think of the adage that opportunities have to be taken when they present themselves – and remember an afternoon in Bulawayo in September 2001, writes Colin Bryden on Sport24
George Binoy
25-Feb-2013
Every time Jacques Kallis falls short of the 200 barrier in Test cricket I think of the adage that opportunities have to be taken when they present themselves – and remember an afternoon in Bulawayo in September 2001, writes Colin Bryden on Sport24.
All it needed was a few lusty blows by Kallis to reach his double century but although he batted well enough he didn’t change gear against an unthreatening attack and when the declaration could no longer be delayed he was on 189 not out, scored off 443 balls.
It remains his highest Test score – and South Africa claimed only three wickets before the match fizzled out. Kallis finished the series with a remarkable 388 runs without being dismissed, having batted for 1 028 minutes. It is a notable record and there can be no doubt that Kallis belongs in the pantheon of great cricketers ... But I often wonder what that record would have been like if he had just chanced his arm just a little more in Bulawayo all those years ago. Maybe he would have peeled off double tons as regularly as Graeme Smith, who has reached the mark four times.
George Binoy is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo