Birthday special: Shaun Pollock – Top 3 spells in international cricket

One of the greatest all-rounders to have graced the game, Shaun Pollock turns 49 on Friday (July 16) and wishes are pouring in for from different quarters. Son of Peter Pollock and nephew of Graeme Pollock, Shaun had cricket running in his veins and he didn’t fail in taking his family’s legacy forward. The right-arm pacer, unlike most of the renowned Proteas fast bowlers, wasn’t known to set the speed gun on fire.

He instead relied on his accuracy, and ability to swing the ball to torment the batsmen. Well, his abilities were indeed good enough as many prominent batsmen put his guards down against Pollock’s vicious deliveries. With 829 wickets, in fact, the veteran is South Africa’s highest wicket-taker in international cricket to date. Besides being a lethal bowler, Pollock was also a more than handy batsman and a brilliant captain.

As Shaun Pollock turns a year older, we’ll look at three of his best spells in international cricket

5/36 vs Australia in 1999

Now, who can forget the epic clash between Australia and South Africa in the 1999 World Cup semi-final? While the high-voltage game is mostly remembered due to Lance Klusener’s fiery cameo, Shaun Pollock also enjoyed an impressive outing. He bowled with hostility and never let the Aussie batsmen breathe easy.

The likes of Mark Waugh and Darren Lehmann couldn’t do much against his deliveries as Pollock got a five-wicket haul and Australia were bundled out for 213 in Birmingham. His efforts, however, went in vain as the game got tied, and Australia advanced to the final on the virtue of finishing higher in the league stage.

5/43 vs West Indies in 1998

Pollock was certainly at the peak of his prowess during the second Test of West Indies’ 1998-99 tour of South Africa. After the home team got bundled out for 245 runs, the star pacer put up an exhibition of high-class fast bowling and ran through the Caribbean side. Pollock dismissed five batsmen as the visitors were folded for 121. Pollock also played a couple of handy knocks in the game as South Africa walked away with a 178-run win in Port Elizabeth.

5/23 vs Pakistan in 2007

The talismanic cricketer didn’t really lose his sheen even in the latter part of his career. The fifth ODI of Pakistan’s 2007 tour of South Africa backs the fact. Pollock made the ball talk in Johannesburg as the Men in Green looked utterly clueless. As a result, they got bundled out for 153 runs and eventually lost the game by nine wickets.