Credit: ICC
On July 16, 1973, former South Africa bowling all-rounder Shaun Pollock was born to Peter Pollock and Patricia Pollock in Port Elizabeth, Cape Town Province. His grandfather Andrew Pollock was the wicket-keeper for South Africa while his father Peter and uncle Robert Pollock were also former servants of the South Africa national cricket team. Pollock broke into international cricket in November 1995 against England in Centurion. In his debut match, he looked fabulous with the ball and registered 3/98 figures in his 29 overs. Two months later in January 1996, Pollock made his One-Day International (ODI) debut against England in Cape Town.
Appearing in his maiden match, he showcased his all-round excellence and racked up unbeaten 66 and 4/34 figures in 9.5 overs. His performance helped the Proteas beat England by six wickets. Pollock also received the Player of the Match (POTM) for his extraordinary performance. The Proteas outclassed England in the seven-match ODI series and recorded a 6-1 victory. Pollock became the Player of the Series for bagging 13 wickets in seven games at a frugal economy of 3.25.
In April 2000, Pollock became South Africa captain after Hansie Cronje was handed a life-ban for his involvement in a match-fixing scandal. He was removed from the leadership role after the Protea side’s miserable performance in the Cricket World Cup 2003 as hosts. On January 11, 2008, he announced retirement from all forms of international cricket. His final international appearance was against West Indies in Johannesburg on February 3, 2008.
Shaun Pollock’s notable achievements in international cricket
Shaun Pollock is the most successful bowler for South Africa across all formats. In his 13-year career, he grabbed 823 wickets in 504 innings of 414 matches with 21 fifers. In the 50-over format, he is the highest wicket-taker for the Protea team. The former speedster clinched 387 wickets in 291 innings of 294 games.
Talking about his bowling records in red-ball cricket, he is the second-most successful bowler with 421 wickets in 202 innings of 108 contests. At the time of his retirement, he was one of only six players to have amassed 3000 runs and grabbed 300 wickets in Test matches.
