Kallis has been our talisman: Smith
South Africa skipper Graeme Smith on Wednesday waxed eloquence on Jacques Kallis, using superlatives like "talisman" and "vital cog" to describe the hugely successful all-rounder.
- Press Trust of India
- Updated: February 23, 2011 09:11 PM IST
South Africa skipper Graeme Smith on Wednesday waxed eloquence on Jacques Kallis, using superlatives like "talisman" and "vital cog" to describe the hugely successful all-rounder.
"It will be great to win the World Cup anyway, for South Africa, but Jacques has been a talisman for us," Smith said when talks turned to the all-rounder during a press conference here.
Having started his international journey in the summer of 1996, Kallis has not only survived the test of time, but also performed to the best of his abilities on a consistent basis. "He's held South African cricket together for 15 years now. So he's been a pillar of a lot of the way we have played and built teams around him, and he's been very successful for us."
Smith stressed that Kallis, with all the experience behind him, holds the key to his team's fortunes in the quadrennial extravaganza.
"I think he, in particular, wants to have a really World Cup which is exciting. He is an important cog in our team. "He has been successful in Cup competitions. He has brought a lot of relaxation to the group and good insights into different things, ways to think about things."
Kallis is the number one all-rounder in one-day cricket with more than 11,000 runs and over 250 wickets from 307 matches.