THE king of all-rounders Jacques Kallis predicted 20 years ago that fully-fledged multi-dimensional cricketers would become as common as dinosaurs roaming the earth’s flatlands.
“It’s hard work doing both, especially with the amount of cricket being played these days,” Kallis said at the time.
“I think the number of true all-rounders is going to get less and less, simply because of that. You’re going to get guys that will bat well and bowl a little bit, or bowl well and bat a little bit. It’s tough.”
The demands of T20 cricket over the past two decades have certainly made Kallis look like Nostradamus, with many players being able to “bat well and bowl a little bit, or bowl well and bat a little bit”, but hardly anyone being able to master both tasks efficiently well.
It has been an even greater struggle for the Proteas to fill the void since Kallis played his last international match a decade ago.
The search for anyone with such pedigree has been an arduous one, with many having auditioned but failed under the bright lights of the big stage.
Proteas white-ball coach Rob Walter has, therefore, emphasised the need to grow the talent pool in the all-rounder department in both white-ball formats.
The latest to put up his hand is Warriors hard-man Patrick Kruger – who admittedly is more Lance Klusener than Kallis, to be fair – after Wiaan Mulder and Jason Smith were trialled in the preceding one-day international series against Afghanistan.
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“I think it’s good competition, it brings the best out of players. I think if, you know, there’s someone you are competing with, the guys in the squad, it’s been good because it brings the best out of me,” Kruger said yesterday ahead of the T20I series against Ireland, which starts tomorrow (5.30pm SA time) in Abu Dhabi.
“I think my role has been clear in the last year. I always wanted to be an all-rounder and have that all-rounder role. I just want to do what I have to do to give myself the best chance to get picked and to perform.”
At 29, Kimberley-born Kruger is a bit of a late bloomer.
It was all realised through a string of events that saw him forced into moving from the Knights after they were relegated from Cricket SA Division 1 to the Warriors in the Eastern Cape at the end of last season.
The change of environment has rejuvenated a career that seemed to be stalling, but is now ready for lift-off after Kruger was one of the few bright lights to emerge from the recent 3-0 reverse to the West Indies in the Caribbean.
Kruger certainly feels that the Warriors switch, particularly playing under the guidance of former Proteas all-rounder Robin Peterson at St George’s Park in Gqeberha, has given him the confidence to play his natural attacking game.
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“Things have happened quickly for me in the last year or so, but it’s been good things,” he said.
“Obviously moving from the Knights, as obviously we didn’t do as well, so got relegated. So I was basically forced to move, but it has turned out to be a good move.
“It’s been really good. I have more responsibility at the Warriors. I think that has brought the best out of me.
“Robbie (Peterson) backs us at the Warriors, so he gives you a licence to do or to back yourself in the moment. That’s taken a bit of pressure off of me, knowing I can play my game.
“It does make things easier when a coach tells you (that) you can actually express yourself.
“I’m just happy to be where I am now. I’m playing for my country. It’s something I always wanted to do, so hopefully just upwards from here.”