Two men, six cricketers

If there was any doubt as to what Jacques Kallis and Shaun Pollock mean to South African cricket, the milestones that both will zero in on during the series against New Zealand should set such wavering thoughts right. Both are up with the truly elite allrounders of the game, aiming for lofty heights that only the likes of Sir Garfield Sobers, Sir Richard Hadlee and Kapil Dev have reached before.

Kallis needs four wickets and 160 runs to join Sobers as the only cricketer with 8000 Test runs and 200 wickets. Pollock needs 11 wickets to pass 400 scalps and, with 3372 runs already to his name, only Hadlee and Kapil can match such allround achievement. That South Africa should enjoy the presence of two such gems of the game at the same time - both Kallis and Pollock play their 100th Tests this weekend at Centurion - is an extraordinary stroke of good fortune.

Apart from their stellar performances on the field, the duo are also laid back, phlegmatic characters who bring some calm to a dressing-room where the more strident voices of Graeme Smith and Mark Boucher could otherwise be overwhelming. Vincent van der Bijl, the most successful bowler in South African domestic cricket history who is now the general manager of professional cricket, believes that his countrymen don't fully appreciate how fortunate they are to have Kallis and Pollock together in the same team.

"We have been up there with the best in the world simply because of the balance to the side that allrounders of the calibre of Jacques and Shaun bring to the side. They can genuinely do all three departments of the game very well. South Africa can always rely on Jacques to be the rock, the very backbone of their batting. He's like granite, whatever winds blow on him, whatever the physical or verbal barrage, he's an immovable object.

"Jacques is also an exceptional part of the attack. He has played many roles with the ball, but now I see him as a wicket-taker and he has the ability to swing the ball. He's also a terrific fielder. A magnificent player," says Van der Bijl, whose own playing days were during the isolation days of Mike Procter, Clive Rice and Eddie Barlow.

Murmurs may be gathering force over Pollock's recent lack of wickets, but Van der Bijl believes that his figures over the last couple of years have not done him justice. "Where Shaun is so important is in building partnerships that create pressure. He's been a wonderful foil, first to Allan Donald and now to Makhaya Ntini. He plays a very important role for the team on the mental side of things too. Shaun's an intelligent cricketer who has a deep understanding of the game. I had the pleasure of working with him last year in the High Performance Programme and he's an exceptional coach.

"He doesn't just have a good build and a fantastic genetic pool for a fast bowler, but a wonderful understanding of himself and his bowling. He's able to define why he does things so well," says Van der Bijl. "Such a well-oiled action gives him incredible consistency and, in terms of keeping things tight, he's right up there with Glenn McGrath and Murali. He's also an incredibly clean hitter of the ball, has a strong arm and catches well."

Donald, who shared the new ball with Pollock for six years, has no doubts about his continued excellence. "His strike-rate may have gone up in recent times, but for me he's still my opening bowler," Donald told CricInfo. "He makes life really difficult for the batsman because he gives absolutely nothing away."

One of the preeminent fast bowlers of his age, Donald can also appreciate the genius of Kallis the batsman. "Jacques is right up there with the top batsmen of the game, the number of centuries that he has scored shows that. He's our Ricky Ponting, someone with sheer class filling the absolutely crucial No.3 spot."

Six-cricketers-in-two - South Africa can only sit back, appreciate, and enjoy the rare privilege of Kallis and Pollock in the same team, celebrating the crossing of such a significant milestone together.