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Johannesburg - Proteas captain Graeme Smith has described South Africa's premier batsman, Jacques Kallis, as the most valuable cricketer ever to have played the game.
Congratulating Kallis on becoming the sixth batsman to reach the landmark of 11 000 Test runs, Smith said on Twitter that of all the batsmen to have achieved this milestone, he was the only one to have taken more than 250 Test wickets.
"Surely one of the greats of the game," said Smith.
Kallis also became only the third cricketer to score 35 Test centuries. Ahead of him lie only Australian Ricky Ponting, with 39 centuries, and India's Sachin Tendulkar with 47.
It was a weekend of milestones for the Proteas' top order on the opening two days of the second Test against the West Indies at Warner Park, St Kitts. Smith started the ball rolling when he notched up his 7 000th Test run on Friday as well as scoring his 21st Test century at this level. He was the third South African, after Jacques Kallis and Gary Kirsten, to reach both these landmarks.
On Saturday it was the turn of AB de Villiers to reach 4 000 runs, and then Jacques Kallis achieved the big one of 11 000 Test runs as well as his 35th Test century.
