Who are South Africa’s Greatest Cricketers
From batsmen to bowlers and all-rounders to expert fielders, South African fans have been lucky enough to watch some of the greatest players of all time carry the badge across the three formats of the game, but who are the best?
In the pantheons of the greatest in South African cricket, there are so many exceptional players to choose from. But who is the best of the best?
From batsmen to bowlers and all-rounders to expert fielders, South African fans have been lucky enough to watch some of the greatest players of all time carry the badge across the three formats of the game, but who are the best?
Leading cricket betting site Bets.com.au has ranked the greatest South Africans to play the game.
- Allan Donald
Allan Donald is undoubtedly one of the best bowlers to ever fire the ball down at an opponent. The first South African bowler to reach 300 wickets, Donald was a menace in both Test and ODI cricket, with his pace and accuracy something that allowed opposition batsmen no quarter when facing him.
While Donald was excellent in most conditions, he was particularly impressive in the sub-continent. Playing in India, Donald averaged 16 with the ball, while he was similarly impressive with 19 in Sri Lanka. Donald would have been a huge asset to any team he played in, with his ability to take wickets unrivalled.
- Graeme Smith
Graeme Smith is a player that was able to prove that he fully deserves his place amongst the best-ever. In a time when playing as an opener was getting more difficult due to the volatility of the pitches and the continued improvement of the bowlers around him, Smith was able to put on a clinic whenever he went out to the middle.
A Test batting average of 48.25 when opening the batting is exceptionally impressive, while his top score of 277 alongside 27 centuries and 38 half-centuries shows that he was consistently brilliant with bat in hand. As captain of South Africa and one of their best batsmen, Smith had a lot of pressure on his shoulders, but he was able to continually put his captaincy to one side when in the middle and needing to score runs, while he was a good strategist when called upon too.
While Smith may not have lit up the shortest formats of the game and thus is not quite as well-known as a player like AB de Villiers, he is undoubtedly one of South Africa’s best.
- AB de Villiers
When anyone mentions explosive batting in the shorter formats of the game, the name AB de Villiers usually follows shortly afterwards. De Villiers has been an exceptional exponent of smaller boundaries and fielding restrictions, although, honestly, when you can hit the ball as far as he can, these don’t tend to matter all that much.
However, despite being a player that has become synonymous with the shorter formats of the game, De Villiers was also an exceptionally talented Test cricketer too. Sitting at 15th in the all-time ICC Test batting rankings with 935 points, De Villiers was not averse to digging in when needed. A Test average of 50.66 is very impressive, while a top score of 278 not out, ranks amongst one of the best Test innings ever.
While De Villiers may be seen as something of a shorter formats merchant, he will be remembered fondly by fans of the game, with explosive hitting, massive scores and moments of utter brilliance securing his spot amongst the best to ever play cricket.
- Dale Steyn
What a bowler Dale Steyn was, with his stats and performances still holding up despite his retirement. Stints in the Indian Premier League, the English County Championship and the Australian Big Bash among others saw Steyn take his unbelievable talent to all corners of the globe, and the pace he was able to bowl at saw wickets falling no matter where he played.
For South Africa, Steyn was able to dominate across all three formats of the game. Indeed, pace is a universal asset that the Proteas used to great effect, with Steyn snaring 439 wickets in Tests, 196 in ODIs and 64 in T20s. Steyn was consistently bowling at speeds well above 90 miles per hour and he became a player that opposition batsmen were scared to face. His mix of bumpers, yorkers and express deliveries that flew past the edge of the bat was legendary, and he was fairly handy with the bat too, scoring three half-centuries across Tests and ODIs.
Steyn is a bowler that will go down as not just one of the greatest-ever South African players, but one of the greatest-ever cricketers to play the game.
- Jacques Kallis
Jacques Kallis has become a player synonymous with superlatives. Whether he was batting, bowling or in the field, Kallis was able to continually prove that he was worthy of his place in the team as a specialist batsman or bowler, let alone an all-rounder. An amazing 13 289 runs in Test matches alongside 11 579 runs for South Africa in ODIs was a frankly ridiculous tally, with Kallis as comfortable digging in and grinding out runs as he was fluently driving and finding the rope.
With the ball, Kallis knocked over 292 Test wickets, while he took 273 ODI scalps too. While Kallis was never guilty of firing down deliveries at express pace, he was able to bowl fairly quick, accurate deliveries that continually challenged the batsman, probing for any deficiencies in technique or lapses in concentration.
Kallis was a name that was first on the team sheet whenever he was available, with his ability to both take wickets and score runs unmatched. It was his staying power with the bat coupled with consistency with the ball that made him a mainstay of the South African team, and perhaps the greatest all-rounder ever.
