Sporting teams do everything together: train, travel, play, strategise and so on. Yet it is amazing how an individual can mean so much, particularly to a cricket team.
We have seen all-time cricketing greats in recent times and the game still features stars who have played over a decade of cricket, some even two decades.
Some players have phenomenal impact on a team and there is an understanding – as well as statistics to back it up – that losing one person in a team can have an enormous impact, whether that be through injury or through retirement.
Right now, the most glaring example of this is Jacques Kallis for South Africa.
Many people questioned how much impact Kallis’ retirement would have on South African cricket, but without the rock in their batting line-up and breakthrough man in the bowling they look fragile.
This is the sort of player whose absence can really affect a team when they retire. Their experience, on-field performance and mere presence are missed in a team, and it hurts them badly.
South Africa played down the loss of Kallis, saying that while they would miss him they would be able to do well. While I thought his loss would hurt, I did not believe it would affect them as much as it seems.
In the first Test against Australia at Centurion, the rock they had to rely on was AB de Villiers. He did a promising job among a rabble of a team, but he still could not quite get on top.
This is something a man like Kallis could enforce and push on.
Sachin Tendulkar is another such player who, simply through his performances, amazed cricket fans from all nations for two decades.
Now he has gone off into the sunset and India have not won a Test match since his departure. Whether it his knowledge or his performance or simply his essence and person being present in the team, he has been a major loss to Indian cricket.
Australia have numerous players who are significant to them. Right now, if we lost Mitchell Johnson it would break our morale and rob us of our main strike bowler. He is currently the heart of our team.
Shane Warne used to be the most important man in our team through the glory days as he could almost always be relied upon to take a match and turn it Australia’s way. He was a magnificent cricketer and it is no surprise that after his departure, and that of others, we fell from grace.
Since Ricky Ponting’s retirement our batting line-up has never been concrete.
He was a man who (at least until the tail-end of his career) could be relied upon to stand up when required. If we needed to get some quick runs, he was there.
Some players, like Kallis for South Africa, are both influential on their teammates and crucial to their team’s success.
It is no use lamenting Kallis' retirement, he is gone and the Proteas must move on. Play seven specialist batsman and four bowlers, cease this idea of playing halfbaked allrounders
Axle an the guru
Guest
He had to retire as all cricketing greats do, they are never replaced an cricket is the poorer for it unfortunately. -- Comment from The Roar's iPhone app.
Jack Smith
Roar Guru
By the way I didn't title the article. I had it titled "One man can mean so much". I just had Kallis as my first example
Jack Smith
Roar Guru
But when one needs to stand up, like South Africa have not needed for a while, they are there. I have also discussed how their simple presence, just being their as a figure is highly influential.
clipper
Guest
He may have helped, but would he have saved the test? - I think he retired at the right time, although I thought he would've waited to get 8 more wickets to reach the 300 milestone. He finished up with a 55.37 average while Tendulkar had 53.79 after they were both close to 58 - that's what happens when you stay around too long past your best.
Matthew
Guest
The good thing is he will still be playing the shorter forms of the game. 50 and 20 over I believe. He has said that his heart and his skills were not in Tests anymore.
sheek
Roar Guru
Please don't get me wrong here, but I'm reading too many articles about how Kallis might have stopped the rot in the first test. Kallis is gone now & South Africa have to work at finding his long-term replacement. What is perhaps missed by those wishing Kallis was still around is that Kallis' skills have been in decline for several years. Not obviously, but nevertheless subtly true. Like all great aging players, the gap between the big innings, or the quick wickets, was widening. Kallis' batting average has slowly fallen while his bowling average has slowly risen. It happened to Tendulkar, it happened to Lara, it happened to Ponting, then it happened to Kallis. It happens to all great players who hang on a bit too long. Some will realise it earlier than others, most will perhaps push it too far before accepting the inevitable. Kallis' last 12 innings were 60, 8, 50, 7, 2, 21, 5, 0, 7, 0, 34, 115. That's 309 runs at 25.75. Sure, he hit a century in his very last test innings, but he was struggling for consistency. He also took just 10 wickets in his last 8 tests. He needed to retire.