Proteas all-rounder revival brings an end to post-Kallis era

A LITTLE over a decade ago, the greatest all-rounder the sport of cricket has ever seen, Jacques Kallis, walked away from the game, concluding a career that spanned almost two decades.

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On that Boxing Day Test at Kingsmead in 2013, South African cricket — along with the wider cricketing world — recognised that Kallis’ retirement marked the end of an era. A cricketer of his calibre, offering genuine world-class skill with both bat and ball, would likely never grace the field again.

That didn’t stop South African cricket from trying. In the years since, many all-rounders have come and gone as the Proteas searched in vain for someone who even remotely resembled the greatness of Kallis. It soon became clear that the pursuit was more fairytale than reality.

Then, in 2016, a teenager still clad in his St Stithians school uniform burst onto the domestic scene. Wiaan Mulder was dismantling seasoned professionals with both bat and ball for the Lions, and suddenly, hopes of discovering the next great Proteas all-rounder reignited.