It’s one thing to play cricket for your country in tests. It’s a whole different thing to play the game for a long time. A lot of athletes have competed for their countries which lasted the longest and was the hardest. According to cricket match highlights but only a small number of them have been able to keep doing this for any length of time. People who are so well-known in their field that is considered “greats” This article looks at the Test cricket records of some South African players who have been on the national team the longest.
- Jacques Kallis (166 MATCHES) –
South African cricketer Jacques Kallis is a legend in the game. He holds the record for the most Test matches he has played. Kallis was a player with many skills. He had a reliable way of batting and a knack for getting wickets when he bowled. In 1995, he played his first Test match against England in Durban. In 2013, against India, he played his last Test match. Kallis scored 13174 runs in 166 test matches, which is more than any other South African player has ever scored. He hit the ball 55.37 times out of 100. On top of that, his bowling at medium speed got rid of 292 batsmen.
- Mark Boucher (146 MATCHES) –
Mark Boucher is next. He is known for being one of the best wicketkeepers in South African cricket history. He is the most successful wicketkeeper in the history of cricket. He has been responsible for 532 dismissals, which is the most of any wicketkeeper. He has caught 500 balls in test matches, which makes him the current record holder. His first Test match was in 1997 against Pakistan, and his last one was in 2012 after a loose ball hit him in the eye and hurt him. But by 2012, Boucher had already played in 146 Test matches for South Africa and scored a total of 5498 runs, which is an average of 30.54 runs per game.
- Hashim Amla (124 MATCHES) –
Hashim Amla, a South African opener who has done a lot of good things, comes in at number three on this list. This refined and elegant right-handed top-order batsman played in 124 Tests for South Africa over 16 years (2004-2019). When he was at the crease, Amal had a great eye for the cricket ball and couldn’t get enough runs. He scored 9282 runs at an average of 46.64 in test matches, making him South Africa’s second-highest run scorer of all time.
- Graeme Smith (117 MATCHES) –
The next batsman is Graeme Smith, a left-handed batsman at the top of the order who used to lead South Africa. Smith is known as a leader who thinks ahead and took South African cricket to new heights while he was there. Between 2002 and 2014, 117 Test matches were played, and he led South Africa in 109 of them. This is the most game any captain has ever led in the history of Test cricket. He played in 117 games, scored 9,265 runs, and had 27 games with 100 runs or more. This gave him a 48.25 batting average.
- Ab de Villiers (114 MATCHES) –
Abraham Benjamin de Villiers, who is a big deal in South African cricket and is sometimes called “Mr.360 degree,” would be missing from any discussion of the subject without him. He is without a doubt one of South Africa’s best hitters in all versions of the game. Between 2004 and 2018, he played in 114 games and scored an average of 50.66 runs per game. His strike rate was 50.66 percent, and he scored 8765 runs. Because of his aggressive style and high rate of hits, the crowd loved watching him and thought he was a sight to see.
- Shaun Pollock (108 MATCHES) –
Most people agree that Shaun Pollock is one of the best cricket players to come from South Africa. In 1995, he played in his first test match. In 2008, he played in his last one. His best bowling performance was 7 wickets for 87 runs, which he did throughout 108 tests. He took an average of 23.11 wickets per match. Throughout Tests, he scored about 3700 runs, with a personal best of 111 and a total of 200.
- Gary Kirsten (101 MATCHES) –
Gary Kirsten was another player in the top order who made the team. Gary Kirsten was an important part of the South African team in the late 1990s and early 2000s because he was always focused and kept a cool head. Without him, South Africa’s top order would have been in a very dangerous spot. Between 1993 and 2004, he was on the Test team and took part in 101 games. During that time, he scored 7289 runs, which is an average of 45.72. With 21 hundred in test games, he is now the sixth-best South African player of all time.
- Makhaya Ntini (101 MATCHES) –
Makhaya Ntini is known for being one of the team’s few fast bowlers. His first Test game was in 1998, and he kept playing games until 2009. He has played in 101 games and taken 390 wickets. On average, he has given up 28.82 runs per game, giving him an economy rate of 3.23. On the field, he was known for being very charismatic and having a lot of energy that never ran out. On the other hand, all of his success and the praise he got came from his lack of fear and his unwavering dedication to his work on the field.
- Dale Steyn (93 MATCHES) –
If Dale Steyn wasn’t on this list, it would be a lot less full. Steyn has all of the important qualities of a fast bowler: speed, swing, aggression, fluidity in his run-up and action, line, length, and pinpoint accuracy. Steyn was on the cricket team for South Africa. In 2004, he played his first test match against England. His last test match is set to be against Sri Lanka in 2019. He played in 93 tests and took 439 wickets. His average was 22.95 and his economy was 3.24.
- Herschelle Gibbs (90 MATCHES) –
Herschelle Gibbs will now take the stage. He started in Cape Town and is known for being angry and violent. Gibbs’s first test match was in 1996 against India, and his last one was in 2008 against the West Indies. 2008 was the year for both of these games. In his 13 years as a Test cricket player, he took part in a total of 90 games and scored a total of 6167 runs, which is an average of 41.95. He was just as impressive on the field, and many people think he was the best player in the history of the sport.