Kallis the top SA performer
Jacques Kallis has been the stand-out South African performer during the past week’s action of the Nokia Champions League T20.
He has, in fact, turned the clock back a good decade by both opening the batting and taking the new ball as he did when he played for Middlesex in the county championship in 1997.
The pitches in India have suited the great all-rounder’s batting to a tee as totals have regular been in the 150s to 170s which has been tailor made for his game. Last Thursday he made an unbeaten 64 (47 balls, 4 fours and a six) to guide the Kolkata Knight Riders’ to a big victory over the Royal Challengers Bangalore while on Saturday he showed he could accelerate right from the start when he got his team home against the Chevrolet Warriors in a rain-affected match, smashing his way to an unbeaten 31 (19 balls, 3 fours and a six).
Kallis is the leading runs scorer in the competition to date (223 runs) although he does have the advantage of having played two matches in the qualifying event in addition to his four in the tournament proper. This is more than 70 runs better than anybody else and his overall average of 74 and strike rate of 120 are also impressive.
Whether he has a further part to play in the tournament will be decided by the final group matches this week.
Jon-Jon Smuts, Roelof van der Merwe and Colin Ingram are also in the top 10 runs scorers.
The good news for both the Chevrolet Warriors, who have lost one match, and the Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras, who have also lost one match and had one wash-out, is that their qualification for the semifinals remains in their own hands.
They should do enough if they win their remaining matches. The Cobras play Trinidad & Tobago on Tuesday while the Warriors face Somerset on Wednesday. Both matches start at 12.30pm (CAT).