Sachin vs Kallis for POS
Jacque Kallis extra ordinary run with the bat in the initial stages of tournament almost confirmed him as player of the series. The fact that he gives utility to the team as a bowler was a further morale booster and any wickets picked up by him or merely bowling his quota of overs increased his chances of being awarded the player of the series.
Jacque Kallis stats in the tournament are outstanding. With 553 runs at an average of 50.27 is the second highest run getter in the tournament after Sachin Tendulkar and probably can even overtake Sachin with a match in hand should he get selected. In 15 matches he bowled 55 overs which is almost the full quota of bowlers and has 11 wickets to his credit. It was Jacque Kallis who initially won almost all matches for Bangalore in the first half of the tournament.
However the bitter truth is that those outstanding stats have a tragic tale to tell. Jacque Kallis gets his runs at a strike rate of 119.69 per 100 balls which translates to 7.18 runs per over and even Dravid who usually is known for stone walling has got his runs at a much better pace at 130.76 per 100 balls. Jacque Kallis wickets have come at a economy rate of 8.60 which is very high. The pace at which Kallis get his runs take Bangalore score to 143 in an innings which is very low, while his economy rate means that his team concedes172 runs in an innings which is too high and puts the match beyond them. While Anil Kumble never criticized Kallis for his overall performance, he made it a point to mention in a particular match that Kallis slow pace put pressure on the big hitters like Uttapa with too much to do in the end and with too little overs left.
On the other Sachin Tendulkar currently the leading run gutter with 570 runs may only be marginally ahead of Kallis in terms of runs and may be overtaken by Kallis should he miss the final or even otherwise but the fact he is got his runs at a blistering pace at a strike rate close to 140 per 100 balls though being classically correct. Sachins strike rate of 8.12 runs per over assures Mumbai Indians a total of 163 per innings which is defendable on more occasions than not. Sachin has never bowled in the tournament but it is better not to bowl than to leak runs at crucial stages and be of negative value to the team. Infact Kallis holds the dubious record for conceding the most number of sixes in IPL 2010. A six at point of time in the match helps in shifting the momentum substantially and one which goes against the fielding team and that was one of the big factors for Bangalore losing games.
Jacque Kallis and Sachin Tendulkar are the main contenders for Man of the Series but the net value of their performances towards the team should be taken into consideration by the judges. If one were to go by a simple logic net strike rate of Kallis gives negative rating to Kallis while Sachin imposing strike rate and more importantly his tactical brilliance as captain took his team to finals a fact which should not be ignored.
Like it on Facebook, Tweet it or share this article on other bookmarking websites.