debut: 7/11/03
4,569 runs
[b]In the pantheon of the game’s elite all-rounders, the name closest to Sobers might be Jacques Kallis. The South African was an excellent, if slightly reticent, stroke player and a highly competent pace bowler capable, at his best, of generating alarming velocity. Other members of this rarefied club include Keith Miller, Ian Botham, and Imran Khan.
Looking throughout cricket’s long history, however, it is clear that the true, top-class all-rounder has not emerged all that frequently. This is likely an indication of how taxing the all-rounder’s job can be and how difficult it is to master both batting and bowling, two markedly disparate skills requiring totally dissimilar gifts. To excel at both normally requires a lavish and varied supply of natural gifts along with an adequate expenditure of the time and effort necessary to nurture them to a high level.
Mastering both batting and bowling at the highest level is difficult in the same way that it is difficult for a top-level sprinter to become a top-level long-distance runner or for a pitcher in the major leagues in baseball to also be a champion slugger. Bits-and-pieces players abound, but the genuine article is hard to find.[/b]
Jamaica Observer
Looking throughout cricket’s long history, however, it is clear that the true, top-class all-rounder has not emerged all that frequently. This is likely an indication of how taxing the all-rounder’s job can be and how difficult it is to master both batting and bowling, two markedly disparate skills requiring totally dissimilar gifts. To excel at both normally requires a lavish and varied supply of natural gifts along with an adequate expenditure of the time and effort necessary to nurture them to a high level.
Mastering both batting and bowling at the highest level is difficult in the same way that it is difficult for a top-level sprinter to become a top-level long-distance runner or for a pitcher in the major leagues in baseball to also be a champion slugger. Bits-and-pieces players abound, but the genuine article is hard to find.[/b]
Jamaica Observer
