Top 3 Test bowling spells of Jacques Kallis

Jacques Kallis was one of the best all-rounders in world cricket. Batting was the best aspect of Kallis’ cricketing skills. Fielding was one of the highlights of the skill sets of South African cricket. With the ball, Kallis was handy in different South African attacks in different periods. As a fifth bowler, Kallis was very useful for South Africa. Kallis could operate as a medium pacer and was often handy in breaking long-standing partnerships. 

In many instances, Kallis was the tormentor in chief. There were times when teams used to struggle against the accuracy of Kallis. There was some kind of magic in some of the spells of Kallis, for which the batters had no answers. In an era where batters mostly dominated the bowlers, Kallis was very good as a fifth bowling option. It provided a very good balance to his team.

Here are the top 3 best bowling spells of Kallis in Test cricket:

6/67 and 2/34 against West Indies, Kensington Oval 2001

It was the third Test of the series between the West Indies and South Africa. On a good batting surface in Kensington Oval in Barbados, South Africa scored 454 runs. Replying to it, West Indies managed to score 387 runs. It could’ve been much more if not for the brilliant spell from Kallis. On a track in which the likes of great bowlers like Allan Donald and Shaun Pollock struggled, Kallis bowled like a champ. 

Kallis was terrific with the new ball and dismissed the likes of Wavell Hinds and Marlon Samuels. When the partnership grew between Brain Lara and Carl Hooper, Kallis broke it by dismissing both batters. The right-arm pacer further claimed the wickets of Cameron Cuffy and Courtney Walsh to register a 6-wicket haul. In the second innings, Kallis dismissed Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan. 

3/38 and 6/54 against England, Headingley 2003

It was the fourth Test of the series between England and South Africa in Headingley. The Proteas scored 342 runs in their first innings. Replying to it, England scored 309 runs. Kallis claimed 3 wickets for 38 runs in the first innings. The medium pacer dismissed Marcus Trescothick, Mark Butcher, and Edward Smith. The match was in the balance. South Africa scored 365 runs in their second innings.

Defending 401, Kallis played a key role by claiming wickets from his end. In 17 overs, Kallis bowled 4 maiden overs and claimed 6 wickets by conceding only 54 runs. Kallis dismissed the likes of Michael Vaughan, Mark Butcher, Nasser Hussain, Andrew Flintoff, Kabir Ali, and Martin Bickell. A career-best bowling figure from Kallis helped South Africa to win the Test by 191 runs. 

3/71 and 4/39 against Sri Lanka, Centurion 2002

It was the second Test of the series between South Africa and Sri Lanka in Centurion. Sri Lanka batted first and scored 323 runs in their first innings. With the ball, Kallis bowled 15.5 overs, conceded 71 runs, bowled a couple of maiden overs, and claimed 3 wickets. Kallis dismissed the likes of Marvan Athapattu, Russell Arnold, and Muttiah Muralitharan. South Africa scored 448 runs in their first innings.

In the second innings, Sri Lanka scored only 245 runs. Kallis was very good with the ball. In 14.2 overs, Kallis claimed 4 wickets, conceded only 39 runs and bowled 5 maiden overs. Kallis claimed the wickets of Marvan Athapattu, Hashan Tillakaratne, Chaminda Vaas, and Chamila Lakshita. South Africa chased the target of 121 runs and won a thriller by 3 wickets. Kallis played a key role in both the innings of the Test as a bowler.