Even more amazing is Kallis, perhaps the most anonymous and underappreciated cricketer of his generation, who has been batting as well in his 36th year as he ever has over the past two decades. Sometimes he has seemed a tad conservative at the crease; he appeared to bat in a vacuum, oblivious to what was going on around him. But his team-mates have never been too bothered about that. They know he will not let them down – a point made by Strauss the last time England played in South Africa. "I don't think the words 'mentally vulnerable' and Jacques Kallis go together in the same sentence," Strauss said.
They know that Kallis is an astonishing cricketer, but sometimes we forget. He has 270 Test wickets and 259 in ODIs yet we hardly ever mention his bowling now. That is because he has been batting so sublimely in both forms of the game.
Maybe it is all down to the new hair. Kallis underwent the transformation that all great, follicly challenged cricketers are now drawn to in their 30s. He looks much younger as a consequence. More importantly it seems as if he feels much younger. The fluency has returned to his batting along with the hair to his head. The hair transplant company responsible may think about unearthing a few Kallis statistics for their next advertising campaign: more hair equals more runs, it seems, though this equation has not worked out quite so well for Ponting.
No matter how young he looks, Kallis, whose statistics bear very good comparison with the ultimate all-rounder, Sir Garfield Sobers, will surely be adorning the World Cup for the last time. One last chance to play in a final and garner the recognition he deserves.
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