London: Proteas all-rounder Jacques Kallis probably lives under the shadow of West Indies legend Garry Sobers, according to some famous figures from the cricketing world.
Richie Benaud, Mike Procter and Tony Cozier, who have had the privilege of watching Sobers - Benaud as an opposing captain, Procter as a county opponent and Rest of the World teammate, and Cozier as a veteran broadcaster, are unanimous about placing Sobers ahead of Kallis.
“For me, Sobers remains the finest batsman I`ve seen; effortlessly dominant in all conditions against all bowling. Of course, their numbers are virtually the same and Kallis is the most complete cricketer of his generation,” the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Cozier, as saying
“But Sobers had that certain X-factor, the charisma that made players such as Imran Khan, Viv Richards, Ian Botham, Kapil Dev, Brian Lara and Shane Warne stand out from the rest. It`s not a trait that Kallis, for all the statistical evidence, possesses,” he added.
However, for recently retired Indian cricketer, Rahul Dravid, Kallis`s record defies comprehension, the paper said.
“I haven`t seen Garry Sobers play other than a few grainy pictures on some videos, but if he is better than Kallis, he must have been one hell of a cricketer,” he said.
``For my generation, Kallis has been incredible; the number of runs he`s made, wickets he`s taken and catches he`s held is quite phenomenal. He has managed to stay so fit, and maintain that level of consistency and performance,” he added.
ANI
First Published: Saturday, November 03, 2012, 16:03