Former India batter Sachin Tendulkar is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in cricket history, and Australian pace-bowling great Brett Lee feels no different about the batting maestro. However, Lee has a different choice when it comes to naming the greatest cricketer of all time.
For Lee, South African legend Jacques Kallis is the ultimate 'GOAT' of cricket. While acknowledging Tendulkar's unmatched batting ability, Lee believes Kallis' all-round contributions put him ahead when assessing the complete package.
Speaking on the Beer Biceps podcast, hosted by Ranveer Allahbadia, Lee praised Tendulkar and said there has been no better batter to have played the game. However, when the focus shifts from batting alone to overall cricketing ability, the former Australia pacer picked Kallis as his preferred choice.
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Kallis is widely recognised as one of cricket's finest all-rounders, having made a significant impact with both bat and ball during his illustrious international career. His ability to consistently contribute in multiple departments is what gives him the edge in Lee's assessment.
Tendulkar, meanwhile, remains one of the most celebrated batters in the history of the sport. The India great finished his international career with more than 34,000 runs across formats and holds several batting records.
Lee's choice highlights the distinction between being the greatest batter and being the greatest cricketer overall. While Tendulkar's batting remains in a league of its own, Kallis' contributions across disciplines make him Lee's pick for the ultimate all-round cricketer.
"I've always said that I think that the best batsman to ever play the game is Sachin Tendulkar. But the best cricketer is Jacques Kallis. He's got the best numbers in the world. If you look at his stats, the stats don't lie, He's incredible," Bret Lee said.
At the international level, Lee and Kallis were fierce rivals, with Australia and South Africa among the top teams competing during their playing years.
However, the two later became teammates for a brief period in the Indian Premier League, with Kallis playing 56 matches for Kolkata Knight Riders between 2011 and 2014 and Lee representing the franchise from 2011 to 2013.
On the podcast, Lee also spoke about how Kallis would always be so calm before walking out to bat no matter what the situation was.
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"But to be alongside as a teammate and to watch him prepare for a game, his heart rate was about 30 beats a minute before going out to bat as he was chilled out. So relaxed," Lee said.
"The way I'd watch him get changed, he'd put his gear on, his batting gear, and he'd put his left sock on first, his other sock would go in his mouth. Same thing every single day," he added.
Kallis' numbers in terms of all-round skills were just incredible. He amassed 13,289 runs at an average of 55.37 (45 centuries) in Test cricket, claimed 292 wickets at an average of 32.65 and took 200 catches.
In ODIs, he scored 11,579 runs averaging 44.36 (17 centuries) and picked up 273 wickets at an average of 31.79. and took 131 catches.
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