South Africa was reinstated as a test nation by the ICC in 1991 and conducted its first ODI with India on 10 November 1991 in Calcutta, playing its first approved international match since 1970. However, the initial test match was in April 1992 in Bridgetown, Barbados, West Indies, after re-entry. On 28 August 2021, South Africa became the first team to reach the top of the ICC rankings in all three game formats. Currently, they are the world's ODI team, the second-best unit in the game's most oversized form. Let's take a look at the top 10 people who have been active in South African cricket.
1. Jacques Kallis
Jacques Kallis has 13,289 test runs at an average of 55.37 and 11,589 ODI runs at 44.36, in addition, to his 292 test wickets in 272 innings and 273 ODI wickets in 283 innings. His statistics prove that he was genuinely one of the most successful South African cricket players in the world. Known as one of the greatest cricket all-rounders in the world, Jacques Kallis' high batting average has made him a powerful and capable cricketer of all time. Jacques Kallis' fielding was so perfect that he didn't slip a single catch from his hand. It is clear that indeed, Jacques Kallis is the best African player the world has witnessed.
2. Graeme Pollock
The best left-handed batsman, along with Garry Sobers, Graeme Pollock was undoubtedly one of the best players ever. His batting average of 60.97 on tests is evidence of his batting power, scoring 1850 runs in 41 innings. As South Africa was suffering from racism apartheid, the cricket team was banned by the international boards. As a result, his career was shortened, and unfortunately, he played only 23 tests. However, even though his career was for a short period, in 1966 he was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year and "South Africa's Player of the 20th Century".
3. Shaun Pollock
Taking birth in a family of a cricket legend, it was natural that Shaun Pollock would continue to be Graeme Pollock. He is one of the best all-around players South Africa has ever witnessed. A career lasting over 12 years, Junior Pollock was one of the rare, true all-rounders in the world of cricket who could perform equally well on both batting and balling. With over 3500 home runs and over 800 wickets in both formats, Pollock proves he indeed is one of the greatest who played this game.
4. Hugh Tayfield
For a country where there are only rare high-quality spin bowlers, Hugh Tayfield remains as an exception. He had perfect accuracy and control over his bowling and is considered as one of the best off-spinners in the test and by 2008, he was the fastest wicket-taker in his country to reach the top 100 positions in the trial. An average of 25.91 and an astonishing economy rate of 1.94 shows the quality of Tayefield in Off Spin. In 1956/57, he took nine wickets in Johannesburg and in the same game, he bowled 35 overs non-stop. And in a previous test of the same series, he bowled 137 consecutive dot balls.
5. Dale Steyn
Dale Steyn has been the most consistent and incredibly talented South African player for over a decade. He is one of the greatest South African bowlers, he was recognized for his fastest bowling in cricket. He has 417 wickets in 85 tests, with an average of 22.30, making him the most valuable player in South African cricket team. The strike rate of 41.4 with over 100 test wickets describes his achievements through his pace bowling technique.
6. Dudley Nourse
40 years old Dudley Nourse batted for nine hours with a broken right thumb in a 1951 match against England in Nottingham. Batting for nine hours, he endured his terrible pain just for South Africa's first test victory in 16 years, scoring 200 runs for the first time for South Africa against England. Nourse scored 2960 runs in 34 tests by hitting nine times, hundreds. His average of 53.81 reflects his striking ability, he was also the captain of the national team from 1948 to 1951.
7. Allan Donald
Allan Donald was one of the most destructive leading bowlers to play this game, in the year 1992. Allan Donald made his test debut against West Indies. He played 72 tests between 1992 and 2002, with an average of 22.25 and 330 wickets. Allan Donald who has 20 test wickets and 2 ODI 5 wicket holds, is South Africa's second-highest ODI player, to have played 164 ODI games between 1991 and 2003, with an average of 21.78.
8. Hashim Amla
Hashim Amla is one of the most respected cricketers of our time and he is one of South Africa's greatest Test cricket players. Known for his flawless patience, he has more than 8000 test runs with 26 hundred. He is the first batsman to reach a three-digit number. His unique movements allow him to play flash drives and outstanding wrist movements. He scored 490 runs in 3 innings (253 *, 114, 123 *) against India in 2010, leading South Africa to draw the series. In 2012 he scored 311* in his first test against England. His century in the third test made South Africa to easily dominate the Series with 2-0 and reached the top ICC test rankings.
9. Mark Boucher
When Mark Boucher retired from test cricket in 2012 due to a misfortune and bizarre injury to his right eye, he had played around 555 tests, a world record for a single player and one of the most excellent wicket keepers ever seen. Boucher remained South Africa's # 1 Wicketkeeper for many years, and he is the only one to record more than 500 catches in Tests. His average of 30.30 stands as a proof for his outstanding play in 147 tests.
10. Aubrey Faulkner
Aubrey Faulkner was arguably one of the best all-rounders in Test cricket, with a batting average of 40.79 and a bowling average of 26.58 in the test. In 1910/11, he played against Australia with a unique double hundred in Melbourne, and he bowled in Leeds against England in a third test, ending with six wickets with 17 runs. His bowling style included googly in a leg break, a rare weapon of that era. Faulkner was one of the first leg spinners to use googly correctly, Faulkner first scored his most outstanding achievement in batting with 153 runs, and took six wickets against Australia in 1921.
