Between Ricky Ponting and Jacques Kallis, who is more likely to one day hold the record for most Test runs?

Question

When Tendulkar and Dravid retires, the top 2 batsmen remaining in the game (in terms of runs scored) will be Ponting and Kallis. Who is the more likely candidate to finish with a higher tally? Do you think one or the other, or both, could reach 15,000 Test runs? Bear in mind that Kallis is a couple of years younger, but as he is an allrounder there is much more strin on his body and he may retire first.

Answer 1

Well i say defiantly Ricky Ponting..

He is ahead on runs and to me is a better player than Kallis..

If Ricky can pick his form up and return it to what it was 5 years ago i have no doubt he will be the man to end up with 15,000 International test runs besides his name..

Kallis is a good batsman but not as good as Ricky Ponting..

Answer 2

i think Ponting

Answer 3

Good Question mate.

At this moment, Sachin Tendulkar has 11,877 runs in test cricket. He is 67 runs away from breaking Brian Lara's record of most runs in test matches. Sachin Tendulkar (as we both believe) has 2 years left playing test cricket, in this time Tendulkar is likely to score 1,500 more runs (at least) for India. If this prediction is true then Sachin Tendulkar should end up with around 13,300 runs in test cricket.

Ricky Ponting has 10099 runs in test cricket, at the moment he is trailing Sachin Tendulkar's tally by 1788 runs. Ricky Ponting is 33 years old, many would say that he has around 2 or 3 (if he continues his old form) left in test match cricket. So for Ponting to take the record he needs to score 1789 more runs than Sachin Tendulkar does in the next few years.

The problem for Ponting is his form, in his last 12 test matches. Ricky Ponting only averages 40. Ricky Ponting has scored 776 runs in his last 10 test matches, if Ponting continues this kind of form then he wil never catch Tendulkar's record. However the real question with Ricky Ponting is whether the current form he is in is a bad patch, or has Ponting now completed his purple patch of form, and is Ponting now not the same player he was 18 months ago.

Australia play a lot of test cricket in the next year, they will play India, South Africa (twice) and England. That is around 18 test matches in about a year, Ponting has plenty of matches to try and catch Tendulkar up but is he good enough to make runs against India (where he has been worked out before) and against the young fast bowling line-ups of South Africa and England.

If Ponting replicates his average (57) this year against these teams, then Ponting will score (estimate) 1,500 runs in the year. Giving him a ok chance of catching Tendulkar up. If Ponting has a bad year, and his troubles in India continue then his Australian career will be over.

Ponting has a small chance of breaking Tendulkar's record. From the Indian tour to the end of the Ashes series is make or break for Ponting, if he can finally make runs in India and keep scoring good runs for the rest of the year, then his career can carry on for some time yet.

I feel that Jacques Kallis has a slightly better chance of breaking Sachin Tendulkar's record.

Jacques Kallis has scored 9,771 runs in test cricket, at the moment he is trailing Sachin Tendulkar's record by 2,106 runs. Jacques Kallis like you stated in your question is only 32 years old, which means he has time on his side. Many would say Jacques Kallis has 4 or 5 years left in test cricket. This is because Jacques Kallis currently offers South Africa something that they cant replace. Kallis is one of the finest batsmen in the world, but he also is a partnership breaker with the ball. Although being an all-rounder will strain Kallis's body more than being a batsmen, surely (unless of a seriously injury) Kallis has many years left in him. So basically Kallis will need to score around 4,000 runs in the next 5 to 6 years, which for a player of Kallis's ability is definitely achievable.

Kallis on average scores around 800 runs a year (over a 1000 when in form) but like Ponting, Kallis is going through a bad year. Currently Kallis only average 29.27 this year, but i believe unlike Ponting, Kallis will be able to get through this blip, and he will be able to carry on scoring runs for South Africa. If Kallis scores 800 runs for the next 5 years, he will have scored 4000 more runs, and surely that will be enough to break Tendulkar's record. Of course Kallis can retire from ODI's or even stop bowling his medium pace to prolong his test match career. Jacques Kallis is South Africa's main superstar in the team, i'm sure they would like to keep Kallis in the team for as long as he feels he can keep playing. Although he may be dropped from the ODI team (remember the T20 world, when Kallis was dropped) i believe Kallis will not be dropped from the test side, unless of a major slump in form. Maybe Kallis will play ODI's for a couple more years, or even just stop bowling (like Steve Waugh) to prolong his career. Thats why i believe Kallis will be in the side for another 5 or 6 years

Of course anything can happen in cricket, Ponting may have a couple more "Golden years" and he may break Tendulkar's record.

So to sum up, i believe that Jacques Kallis is the more likely to break Sachin Tendulkar's record, because he has many more years left to score big runs.

Of course we all know Kevin Pietersen will be the new record holder in test cricket in 10 years time lol :D

Answer 4

kallis

Answer 5

If Ponting returns to form, he has a good chance. It will depend on that wrist he has been troubled by for some time. Hopefully the surgery he underwent has corrected it. So I'll say Ponting as I don't know all that much about Kallis.

Answer 6

its like a marathon race,, Tendulkar is way in front with the Kenyans ,,so long as he still keeps running the rest will have to much ground to catch up

Wow kookee that was an even bigger post than Oracle did you go to the same Uni lol

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Answer 7

I am not actually sure if either of them will ever hold the record for the most Test runs. Kallis is over 2,000 runs behind Lara (the current record holder), and Ponting is 300 runs or so further on than his South African rival.

Ponting is nearly 34, and has some injury problems. Kallis is almost 33, but the wear and tear of international cricket is starting to take its toll on him.

Obviously, we can't say for certain how long either of them may go on. Ponting may step down in 3 years time, after the next World Cup. However, his hand may be forced by the Australian selectors before then, as they seek to have a fresh look to their ODI side. This will leave Ponting leading just the Test team, which could mean he also leaves that arena, if Michael Clarke presses a strong claim for leadership of both teams.

So Ponting, if he cannot put his injury worries completely behind him, may leave the Test secene within the next couple of years. He possibly therefore has another 15-25 Tests left. If we go for the higher number, he could potentially score another 2,000 runs. This would edge him just bast Lara's current record.

Kallis doesn't always play ODI cricket, so his main focus these days is on Tests. His form recently seems to be mirroring the Indian middle order, suggesting that his powers are on the wane. This may not be the case, as it is too early to tell, but again, he probably only has onaother 3 or 4 years left in the international arena. During that time you would expect him to score between 2000 and 3000 runs. Again, this would marginally put him ahead of Lara.

But there is the small matter of Sachin Tendulkar. He is only just behind Brian Lara, and will soon break his record. Yes, his form in the series in Sri Lanka was woeful, but he is still averaging around 50 over the last couple of years, down on his overall average, but hardly symptomatic of a man who is on the brink of a permanent meltdown.

Tendulkar will not be dropped by India: he is the one player who will be allowed to retire of his own volition. I think he intends to go after the 2011 World Cup (held in Asia). Tendulkar will therefore score enough runs to stay ahead of the chasing pack.

If anyone is going to reach 15,000 Test runs, it will be Sachin Tendulkar. It is highly unlikely that Ricky Ponting or Jacques Kallis will get that many.

Now,as to which one from Ponting or Kallis will finish with a higher tally: Ponting.

Edit: My Nickname I don't Know. I think you need to read my wording properly. I have said that Ponting has more Test runs than Kallis "Ponting is 300 runs  or so further on than his South African rival". This means he has 300 or so more runs than Kallis, not less.

Answer 8

I think neither can do.....

If Sachin plays 1 yaer or so, He may manage to get 1000 runs....

something will be 2000 runs higher than them, this may take some 2-3 years....

So we cant say........