It’s one thing to play cricket for your country in tests. It’s a whole different thing to play the game for a long time. A lot of players have played for their countries in the format that takes the longest and is the hardest.
Only a small number of them have stuck with it for a long time. People who get to this level are seen as some of the best athletes ever and are treated with the utmost respect. This post looks at the Test cricket records of some South African players who have been on the national team the longest as per insights from world cricket news:
Jacques Kallis (166 MATCHES)
Many people think that Jacques Kallis, a legendary cricket player from South Africa, is one of the best all-rounders in the sport. Kallis was a player who was good at both hitting the ball and throwing it. He was good at picking wickets. In 1995, he played his first Test match in Durban, South Africa, against England. His last Test match was in 2013 against India. Kallis now holds the record for most runs scored in the history of South African cricket. He has scored a total of 13,174 runs in 166 Test matches, with an average of 55.37. On top of that, he took 292 wickets with his medium-speed bowling.
Mark Boucher (146 MATCHES)
Mark Boucher, who is known as one of the best wicketkeepers in South Africa’s history, now has his chance. In the long history of cricket, his 532 dismissals in Test matches are the most by any wicketkeeper. After making his first appearance in a test match against Pakistan in 1997, he kept playing the game until 2012, when an eye injury forced him to stop. On the other hand, by 2012, Boucher had already scored 5498 runs for South Africa in 146 Test matches, which is an average of 30.54 runs per match.
Hashim Amla (124 MATCHES)
Hashim Amla, who is an opener for South Africa and has done a lot of good work, is third on this list. This refined, elegant, and graceful top-order right-handed batter has played for South Africa in 124 Test matches over the course of 16 years, from 2004 to 2019. When he was at the batting crease, Amal had a great eye for the cricket ball and couldn’t get enough runs. Over the course of his career, he scored 9282 runs at an average of 46.64. This made him South Africa’s second-best Test run scorer of all time.
Graeme Smith (117 MATCHES)
Next up is Graeme Smith, a left-handed opener who used to be the captain of South Africa. Smith is well-known in South Africa for his groundbreaking work in the sport of cricket. Between 2002 and 2014, he played 11 times for South Africa. Of those, 109 were as captain. This is more than any other captain in Test cricket history. He had a 48.25 batting average and scored 9265 runs in 117 games, including 27 hundreds.
AB DE Villiers (114 MATCHES)
Abraham Benjamin de Villiers, also known as Mr.360, is an important part of South African cricket. He is without a doubt one of South Africa’s best hitters in all formats. From 2004 to 2018, he played in 114 Test matches and scored 8765 runs, which is a 50.66 percent strike rate. He was a fan favourite and a real showman because of his aggressive style and high strike rate.
Shaun Pollock (108 MATCHES)
Shaun Pollock is known as one of the best South African cricketers of all time. He played his first Test match in 1995 and his last one in 2008. In 108 Tests, he took 421 wickets at an average rate of 23.11. His best figures were 7 wickets for 87 runs. He also scored more than 3,700 runs in Tests, with two centuries and a personal best of 111.
Gary Kirsten (101 MATCHES)
Gary Kirsten, who bats first in the lineup, also makes it. Gary Kirsten was a key member of the South African team in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He was known for being very focused and keeping his cool. If he hadn’t been there, it might as well have been empty at the top of the South African order. He was on the Test team from 1993 to 2004, and he scored 7289 runs in 101 games, for an average of 45.72, during that time. Also, he got 21 hundreds in Tests, which is the seventh most of any South African player.
Makhaya Ntini (101 MATCHES)
Makhaya Ntini, for example, is one of the few fast bowlers who made the cut. He played in the Test tournament for the first time in 1998 and did so until 2009. In 101 games, he has taken 390 wickets, for an average of 28.82 and an economy of 3.23. He was often the centre of attention on the field because of how well he played. On the field, however, it was his never-say-die attitude and refusal to give up that paid off in the end.
Dale Steyn (93 MATCHES)
If Dale Steyn was on this list, it would be a big mistake. Steyn had everything a fast bowler should have, like speed, swing, aggression, a smooth run-up and movement, line, length, and pinpoint accuracy. In 2004, he took the Test.
He played his first game against England and his last against Sri Lanka. He took part in 93 Tests, and by the end, he had 439 wickets and an economy rate of 3.24.
Herschelle Gibbs (90 MATCHES)
Herschelle Gibbs is up next. He is the opener for Cape Town and is known for being aggressive and fierce. Gibbs played his first Test against India in 1996, and his last against the West Indies in 2008. During his 13-year Test career, he played 90 games and scored 6167 runs, which is an average of 41.95. He was also great on the field, maybe the best in the whole world.
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