Stuart Hess picks two of the best all-rounders to go into the greatest Proteas ODI side ever …
There is no shortage in the all-rounder category, and in fact, one has already been picked for his batting prowess alone. Brian McMillan, Andrew Hall, Albie Morkel, Nicky Bojé and Hansie Cronjé, to name but a few, all added depth and versatility to the South African one-day international team over the years. Today, Stuart Hess picks two to go into the greatest Proteas ODI side ever …
Lance Klusener
Has one player dominated an entire World Cup the way he did in 1999? Klusener had the highest batting average – 140.50 – among players who scored over 200 runs, and his 17 wickets – tied for the third most – came at an average of 20.58. the Proteas were by no means a one-man team that year, but damn, Klusener had to dig them out of several holes.
He bowled a heavy ball, but was skilful too, and mixed up his pace a lot. With his mighty Duncan Fearnley bat, he smashed balls and so nearly smashed South Africa into a World Cup final.
Shaun Pollock
An intelligent and natural cricketer, he could strike a ball cleanly and hit with more power than many gave him credit for. Pollock was more than useful with the bat, scoring over 3,000 runs, with 13 fifties. His 393 wickets place him sixth on the all-time list.
Deadly accurate, he had just enough in his armour to keep opposing batsmen honest, even on the flattest of pitches. His fielding was an underrated part of his game.
