Kallis: World Player of 2005
12 October 2005
Just days ahead of his thirtieth birthday, Jacques Kallis has been recognised as World Player of the Year by the International Cricket Council. He shares the award with England's Ashes hero Andrew Flintoff.
Kallis was also named World Test Player of the Year.
The awards were made on Tuesday night in Sydney, Australia where the cream of the world's cricketers have gathered for the six-day Super Test starting on Thursday.
With 86 votes each, the two players could not be separated by the 50-member selection panel, and so share the 2005 Sir Garfield Sobers trophy.
It is the first time the award has been shared.
Emerging players
A number of other South African players were recognised at the awards. Proteas captain Graeme Smith was named in the World XI test team, while batsman AB de Villiers was runner-up in the Emerging Player of the Year category, behind South African born Kevin
Pietersen.
Pietersen, playing for England, was widely expected to win the award after a storming Ashes series.
Kallis was the only South African named to both the World XI one-day and test teams.
In the 15 tests Kallis has played in the past year, he has scored 1 497 runs at an average of 71.28. He scored six centuries and, with the ball, took 20 test wickets.
In ODIs he scored 697 runs at an average of 41.00,with a strike rate of 70.76. He also took eight wickets.
'Leading role'
"Jacques's contribution as a batsman, bowler and fielder has been nothing short of phenomenal and has justifiably earned him the Player of the Year award alongside Andrew Flintoff," United Cricket Board of South Africa head Gerald Majola told Independent Online.
"South African cricket is very proud of, and grateful for, the leading role Jacques has played for more than a decade throughout the world.
"He is an asset to his team, his
sport and the South African nation"
SouthAfrica.info reporter
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