AFTER ending his professional cricket career on a high note, Jacques Kallis has a new sporting challenge today — playing against the Springboks.
The Proteas will play against a Springbok 11 led by Jean de Villiers in a T20 exhibition match at Newlands in Cape Town. Faf du Plessis will lead the Proteas.
The match forms part of the the cricket festival taking place in Cape Town.
Apart from Bok captain De Villiers, the Springbok 11 includes Willem Alberts, Bismarck du Plessis, Butch James, Fabian Juries, Tiaan Liebenberg, Willie le Roux, Victor Matfield, Frans Steyn, Flip van der Merwe and Franco van der Merwe.
The Boks are no strangers to the crack of leather on willow. Alberts and Matfield both excelled as cricketers at school and the Proteas will have to get Franco van der Merwe’s wicket early in the match to avoid his big swings with the bat. In January last year he scored 84 not out from only 27 balls to help the Sharks win their exhibition T20 match against the Dolphins by four wickets. Van der Merwe hit six fours and eight sixes.
Schalk Burger, one of the other rugby players who is equally at home in an oval, will not be available for the match.
Former Springbok captain Bob Skinstad will manage the Springbok cricket team.
He said the Boks look forward to the contest with SA’s top cricketers.
Cricket SA chief executive Haroon Lorgat said the cricket festival was a good chance for Kallis fans in Cape Town to see their hero again.
The match starts at 6 pm.
