I found this on Reddit, not half an hour ago.
I replied with the following:
Kallis vs Sobers is a debate that will never be settled - there's always another stat trotted out by someone to prove Kallis was a better bowler on overcast Wednesdays in England whilst suffering from the flu, and there's always another one to prove the exact opposite. What can be agreed, however, is that they're the two best batting all-rounders in history (I say batting to avoid Imran Khan fans and my personal man-crush on Keith Miller from coming in to things).
Kallis holds his own with the best of the best in this era - however he's underrated because nothing he does stands out. He works hard, makes runs, takes wickets and fields well, however he never had the extreme beauty of a Lara, the sheer following and weight of runs of a Tendulkar, the devastation of a Ponting or the gentlemanly exterior of a Dravid. He doesn't need the reputation; he gets the job done.
When he bowls, he was always overshadowed by a Donald, Pollock or Steyn - three quicks with every right to claim a starting XI place in any all-time XI. He doesn't have the prodigious swing of a Steyn, the raw pace of Donald, or the accuracy of a Pollock. He doesn't need the reputation; he just gets the job done.
In the field, he never had the figure to be a Gibbs, de Villiers or Rhodes. But in the slips he had a safe pair of hands. He didn't need a reputation; he gets the job done.
He never played the big innings until recently - he was head-and-shoulders above Mark Waugh as the bets batsman never to make a double ton (until he did, of course). He made the runs he needed to in tough situations. He wasn't exciting or fashionable, but whenever he came up against Australia, he was the batsman I feared most.
The only thing that tarnishes his legacy is his perceived selfishness - and I'm not convinced on that. Even if there is an element there, it has been blown way out of proportion. And he wouldn't be anywhere as selfish as a Kevin Pietersen, who fans wax lyrical about due to his excitement. Sure, Kallis doesn't bat like AB de Villiers, playing reverse sweeps, scoops and belting sixes for fun. But he took to Twenty/20 cricket perfectly - he is every bit as good, if not as exciting.
If anything, Kallis is too good to be remembered as good. His legacy is driven by raw numbers, not his look, his personality or landmark innings. He flies under the radar in an unfashionable team of showmen and personality (you see comparatively few South African fans on the internet, in my experience, and RSA has been shafted in the amount of Tests they've played in the last few years).
He is the Garfield Sobers of this era.
They don't call it Kallisball for nothing.
Fantastic read; great article.
