Former star Protea all-rounder Kallis back on club cricket block

Former Proteas all-rounder, Jacques Kallis, has enjoyed his outing in the Claremont Cricket Club’s veterans’ team but he’s not sure if his comeback is going to be permanent.

The former Protea all-rounder, who recently celebrated his 49th birthday, says his return to the oval was part of his preparation to play in the International Masters League, which was scheduled for India later this year. The tournament has subsequently been postponed.

The former star all-rounder, who played 166 matches and 328 ODIs for South Africa, says he enjoyed the outing when his side met Primrose in a Western Province Veterans League match.

The Primrose side, which included former South African Cricket Board legend Faiek Davids, won the match by 38 runs. Both openers Saadiek Davids (50) and Faldie Abderouf (54) scored half centuries. Primrose head the Group B league table with 10 points from two games.

While Kallis' return to the crease was short-lived when he was run for a single run, said, “I had a fun day being back on the oval where I spent so many of my younger days at Claremont”.

“It was great playing with and against some old friends and meeting a few new guys. Reminiscing about the old days afterwards, made me feel young again. Thoroughly enjoyed my outing on the cricket field again with fellow over-40s,” he said.

Faiek Davids, who scored nine runs, says he will, however, make a huge effort to play more games. “It was good to battle out in the middle again with old friends on both sides. It was quite a match to look forward to because Claremont had their super-star Kallis in their line-up.

“The pitch wasn’t easy to bat on, slow and challenging. We were very confident in defending 157 with our bowling attack. It was a good team effort. So good to feel the competitive juices again,” said Davids.