Ponting reveals the “most talented player” he has seen

London [UK], October 6 (ANI): Former Australian great Ricky Ponting said that former South Africa all-rounder Jacque Kallis is the “most talented player” he has seen and is also “one of the most underrated players ever”.

Ponting was speaking on Sky Sports Cricket on Saturday.

He named Kallis as the most talented player he has seen because of his all-round game and numbers.

“I will say Jacques Kallis is the most talented player that I have ever seen because of his all-round game. I’m not just talking about a talented batsman; I am talking about a talented cricketer. Jacques Kallis made 44, 45 Test hundreds, probably 300 wickets, maybe more than that, and he would have an unbelievable catching record as well in Test cricket,” said Ponting.

The Aussie legend pointed out not many players call him as an all-time great.

“I think he is one of the most underrated players ever that is played the game. I mean, I know he is rated; obviously, he should be, but not many people talk about him as being one of the all-time greats, and in my eyes, he certainly is,” Ponting added.

In 166 Tests from 1995-2013, Kallis scored 13,289 runs at an average of 55.37, with 45 centuries and 58 fifties in 280 innings. His best score was 224. He is Proteas’ highest Test run-maker and overall at number three, behind Ricky Ponting of Australia (13,378 in 168 Tests) and Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar (15,921 in 200 Tests).

He also took 292 wickets at an average of 32.65, with the best bowling figures of 6/54. He took five five-wicket hauls in Tests. Kallis is seventh-highest wicket-taker for SA in Tests, with Dale Steyn (439 in 93 Tests) being at the top.

In 328 ODIs from 1996-2014, Kallis made 11,579 runs at an average of 44.36, with 17 centuries and 86 fifties. His best score was 139. He was leading run-scorer for Proteas in ODIs and overall eighth, with Sachin (18.426 runs in 463 matches) at the top.

In ODIs, Kallis also took 273 wickets at an average of 31.79, with the best bowling figures of 5/30. He took five-wicket hauls in the format. He is the second-highest wicket-taker in ODIs for Proteas, with Shaun Pollock (387 scalps in 294 matches) at the top.

Kallis also played 25 T20Is, scoring 666 runs at an average of 35.05 and a strike rate of 119.35, with five fifties. He also took 12 wickets at an average of 27.75, with the best bowling figures of 4/15.

With 25,534 runs in 519 matches, with 62 centuries and 149 fifties, Kallis is the sixth-highest run-getter in international cricket, with Sachin at the top with 34,357 runs in 664 matches. His 577 wickets are also the fifth-highest for Proteas in all forms of cricket.