Photo: Kolkata Knight Riders - Official / CC BY 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Jacques Kallis is my go-to answer when someone asks who the most underrated great athlete is. Being elite at one cricketing discipline is a career; being elite as both a batsman and a fast-medium bowler, sustained across nearly two decades, borders on absurd. The 2005 Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy and his Wisden recognition only hint at it. What I admire most is the temperament — he accumulated quietly while flashier names took headlines, and the numbers eventually made his argument for him. Had he played for India or England, I suspect he would be a household name far beyond cricket.
Overview
Jacques Henry Kallis OIS (born 16 October 1975) is a South African cricket coach and former professional cricketer. Widely regarded as one of the greatest cricketers of all time and as one of the greatest all-rounders ever to play the game, he was a right-handed batsman and right-arm fast-medium swing bowler.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Jacques Kallis
- Name (Japanese)
- ジャック・カリス
- Reading
- じゃっく・かりす
- Born
- October 16, 1975 (age 50)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Libra / Rabbit
- Origin
- Pinelands, Western Cape, South Africa
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- 182 cm
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- cricketer
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Wynberg Boys' High School
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- 2013 Wisden Cricketer of the Year
- 2005 Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy
- 2019 Order of Ikhamanga in Silver
- 2005 South African Sportsman of the Year
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Cricketer — see all → · More people from South Africa →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-10
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.