“He is becoming the new Jacques Kallis the way he is batting”

Image courtesy of: Zimbio

South Africa captain Faf du Plessis has compared Vernon Philander to legendary all-rounder Jacques Kallis following his superb performance in the second Test against England.

Philander had a major impact with both the bat and ball at Trent Bridge as he made scores of 54 and 42 to go with the five wickets he picked up.

Kallis is arguably the best all-rounder to ever play the game as he scored 45 Test centuries, claimed 292 wickets at an average of 32.65, and took 200 catches.

“He is becoming the new Jacques Kallis the way he is batting,” Du Plessis said. “We joke about it because his technique is becoming the same as Kallis’ as well.

“He’s a fantastic cricketer. When there’s something there (in the pitch), he’s probably the best in the world at doing something with it.”

When asked if he agreed with Du Plessis’ comparison, Philander said: “Absolutely not.”

South Africa won the second Test by 340 runs and subsequently levelled the series at 1-1.