Shaun Pollock established the original benchmark for success and his family pedigree was such that from a very young age, he was expected to have tremendous success.
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His uncle was one of the greatest left-handers in the history of cricket. Those were the words of Sir Don Bradman. The exploits of his father was superb, taking 116 wickets in 28 Tests and averaging almost 22 with the bat. Those were the expectations that Shaun Pollock carried even before he made his debut for South Africa. His uncle Graeme Pollock and father Peter were excellent cricketers for South Africa. When he made his debut in 1995, Shaun Pollock was expected to carry forward the rich legacy of the Pollocks. He did not disappoint.
In his 13-year international career, Shaun Pollock created records that set the original benchmark for success in South Africa. In his debut year in 1995, Shaun was simply sensational. He achieved a Man of the Match award on his debut as he hit 65 and 4/34 in an ODI against England. It was the start of many great achievements for Pollock.
With the emergence of Pollock, South Africa’s ace pace bowler Allan Donald upped his game brilliantly. The year 1998 proved to be the ultimate breakthrough year for Pollock. He took 69 wickets in 14 Tests, with his best of 7/87 almost giving South Africa a rare win against Australia in Adelaide. Pollock and Donald formed the dangerous opening duo. When Pollock prospered, Donald prospered.
The stats are evident from the period from 1997 to 2000. In 1998, Pollock took 69 wickets while Donald ended with 80. From the period of 1999 to 2001, Pollock was the undisputed leader of the attack with Donald a good partner followed by the emergence of Makhaya Ntini. The duo took a total of 371 wickets and their averages never crossed 25.
This was the period in which South Africa cricket prospered. Although they came out second best in contests against Australia, Pollock and Donald were the ultimate bowlers in world cricket.
In the aftermath of the match-fixing scandal, South Africa cricket reached its lowest ebb. Hansie Cronje was removed as the captain of the side. Credibility in South Africa and world cricket was at an all-time low. Pollock was chosen the captain. For some time, South Africa was dominating bilateral contests. In 2002, they achieved their first tri-series win in Australia. They had finally broken the hoodoo that had impacted them in 1994 and 1998.
But, in the 2003 World Cup in South Africa, there was a disaster. The hosts lost their games to West Indies and New Zealand. They were on the cusp of elimination. In their last league game against Sri Lanka in Durban, they needed to win. With the rain coming down in South Africa’s chase, they needed 230 runs by the end of the 45th over. Before the start of the over, the South African dressing room gave the message to Mark Boucher that the target for South Africa was 229 after 45 overs.
Boucher hit a six off Muttiah Muralitharan and South Africa ended the over on 229. But, the South Africans had gotten it wrong. 230 was the target to win. 229 was the par score. That would end up being a tie. The match was called off. The game was tied and South Africa was eliminated in the most bizarre circumstances. The axe fell on Pollock and he was removed from captaincy.
With injuries and a dip in form, Pollock struggled in later years. He continued to be accurate and his metronomy proved to be awesome. But, he struggled for penetration. In the 2007 ICC World Cup in the West Indies, Pollock was carted all over the ground by Matthew Hayden in the contest in St Kitts. That showed that he was a spent force.
But, before he retired in 2008, Pollock created plenty of records. He breached the 400-wicket mark and became the first South African to achieve the feat. He ended with 421 Test wickets and 393 ODI wickets. It was in ODIs where he proved to be super-effective till the end. His economy rate of 3.67 was simply stunning. His best spells were 5/36 in Edgbaston during the 1999 World Cup semi-final against Australia. That best spell would be eclipsed by the result as Australia knocked South Africa out with a tie.
In two ties, Pollock’s career was defined. He was unlucky with the bat, having scored a century in a Test that was deemed unofficial. But, he would score centuries and ensure he would emerge as the best all-rounder for South Africa. It would take 12 years for someone to break the record set by Pollock. Dale Steyn achieved that in the Test against Pakistan.
Pollock stands seventh in the list for most wickets combined with 829. His metronomy saw him bowl over 40,000 balls and he was the fastest to 350 wickets in ODIs. He has scored over 1000 runs, taken over 50 wickets and 50 catches in both ODIs and T20Is.
It is a shame that Pollock did not have major success in his tenure. World Cup success eluded him, but he was part of the side that won the 1998 Champions Trophy. If it was not for those two catastrophic ties in 1999 and 2003, Pollock would have been an even greater legendary figure. But, for his records, he is a great figure in cricket. At the age of 48, his records and contributions to South Africa cricket is simply amazing.
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