Ricky Ponting Names 'Best Cricketer That's Ever Played'; Snubs Sachin Tendulkar And Virat Kohli

Ricky Ponting has picked the ‘Best cricketer that’s ever played’ and he chose neither Sachin Tendulkar nor Virat Kohli. Ponting named South Africa’s Jacques Kallis as the ‘best cricketer to ever play.’

Jacques Kallis is regarded as one of the best all-rounders in cricket history. He had an excellent Test batting average of 55.37 and a bowling average of 32.65. Kallis was an important player for South Africa for more than a decade. He could affect the outcome of a match with either bat or ball, as well as his fielding.

Kallis scored 13,289 runs in 166 Tests, including 45 centuries, and claimed 292 wickets with the ball. In ODIs, he scored 11,579 runs, including 17 centuries, and took 273 wickets across 328 games. The former all-rounder scored 666 runs in 25 T20Is at an average of 35.05 and took 12 wickets.

Jacques Kallis Was Just a Born Cricketer - Ricky Ponting

Kallis is the third-most prolific run scorer in Test history. He is also the ninth most prolific run-scorer in ODI history. He took 338 catches in 519 matches, making him one of only four Test cricketers to have more than 200 catches. Kallis played for RCB (2008-2010) and KKR (2011-2014) in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Ricky Ponting was asked to choose the greatest cricketer of all time. He underlined Kallis' impressive statistics, claiming that either batting or bowling alone would result in an amazing career. Ponting lauded his outstanding slip fielding and dubbed him the "underrated cricketer."

Ponting lavishes praise on Kallis

“Jacques Kallis is the best cricketer that’s ever played. I don’t care about all the others. Full stop. 13,000 runs. 44 or 45 Test hundreds. And 300 wickets. Either one of those careers is outstanding. You can take 300 Test wickets every day of the week, and you take 45 Tests 100s," Ponting said on The Howie Games podcast.

"He’s got them both. He was just a born cricketer. Unorthodox in the slips, didn’t drop anything in the slips, had a sort of funny technique, and caught everything. I think he’s the best and the most underrated because he’s not talked about very much at all. Probably because of his personality and his character. He’s not out there. He’s low-key, yeah. Hasn’t done much media work. So, he’s sort of one of those forgotten-about ones a little bit," he added.

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Ricky Ponting himself is an all-time great

Ricky Ponting holds the record for the most international runs by an Australian batter, with 27,483 runs in 560 matches at an average of 45.95, including 71 centuries and 146 50s. As captain, he led Australia to victories in the 2003 and 2007 ODI World Cups, earning Player of the Match honors in the 2003 final.

Ricky Ponting scored 13,378 runs in 168 Tests, averaging 51.85, with 41 centuries and 62 fifties. Ponting played 375 ODI games, amassing 13,704 runs at an average of 42.03, with 30 centuries and 82 fifties. He played 17 T20Is, scoring 401 runs at a 28.64 average and 132.78 strike rate.

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