England in SA
Kallis tops decade averages
2009-12-31 16:52
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Cape Town - Jaques Kallis finished the decade of the noughties (2000-2009) with the best batting average in test match cricket and the second leading runs aggregate.
His aggregate of 8 630 runs (27 centuries and 42 fifties) was second only to Ricky Ponting’s 9 458 but his average of 58.70 was fractionally better than the Australian captain’s 58.38. Mohammad Yousuf of Pakistan averaged 58.53 from 6 439 runs.
As is to be expected from a team that has had a high winning percentage during this decade, Proteas’ Castle squad members feature prominently in all categories.
Makhaya Ntini is the second leading wicket taker (380) with only the prolific Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka (565) ahead of him. Ntini has an average of 28.64 for this period with 18 five-wicket hauls and four 10-wicket hauls.
Mark Boucher is also second on the wicketkeeping list (383), 14 behind Australia’s retired Adam Gilchrist.
Proteas’ captain Graeme Smith is the eighth most prolific batsman (6 451 runs at 49.62) while retired Shaun Pollock also makes the top 10 in the bowling category (260 wickets at 24.76) for eighth place.
Boucher also achieved a landmark in his career when he kept wicket throughout England’s first innings at Sahara Stadium Kingsmead without conceding a bye. He joins an elite group of stumpers who have kept to more than 1 000 balls in a Test innings without conceding a bye.