Shaun Pollock Turns 47: A Look At His Lesser Known Facts

Shaun Pollock, a genuine all-rounder, born in the family of cricketers and destined to become one turned 47 on Thursday. Pollock was one of the finest medium pacers of all-time with excellent line and length which helped to establish him as a key player of the side. In 2003, he was also named as the Wisden Cricketer of the Year.

Shaun Pollock: As a player

Pollock was a bowling all-rounder known for his Hadlee-esque accuracy. He bowled at a straight line and was lively. Pollock could move the ball both ways being a bowler who preferred bowling at a straight line the most. He was also appointed as the captain of the South African side in 200 but was removed from the role following their dismal performance in the 2003 World Cup.

Pollock, however, was criticised for his sub-par performance with the bat. His captaincy stint came as a challenge for him after the dismissal of Hansie Cronje due to his involvement in match-fixing. He retired with an average of nearly 33 in Tests and 27 in ODIs.

As a bowler, one of the finest of all-time, he picked up 421 wickets in Tests with 16 five-wicket hauls to his name. In the ODIs, he had 393 scalps with the best bowling figure of six for 35.He had a decent economy in both the formats and was known for not leaking much runs.

Shaun Pollock: What is he up to now?

After retirement Pollock has been a part of the match experts for official broadcasters. He has opined his views on various results for his team. At present Pollock is in South Africa maintaining quarantine due to the novel coronavirus pandemic situation.

Shaun Pollock: Lesser known facts

Pollock was born to a family of cricketers. His father Peter was a part of the South African attack in 1960s while uncle Graeme was one of the finest to have played for the national team. Even their father Andrew was a wicket-keeper for Orange Free State. Pollock was a teetotaller.

At Afro-Asia Cup in 2007, he played as a batsman and scored 130 runs, to beat Mohammad Kaif’s record for the highest run scored by a No.7 batsman. However, that record was broken in four days by MS Dhoni.