Naming of the Jacques Kallis Oval Thursday, 26 November 2009 - Oude Wijnberg Archives
View the photos
From the 1995 School Magazine
Newly-capped Protea, Jacques Kallis presents a tree for the WBHS Oval
Jacques Kallis, Patron of Wynberg Cricket
Jacques Kallis Indoor Centre Opening
Wynberg Legacy Fund
WBHS Cricket Tours Ahead
Photo collections:
2009: Naming of the JKO
2015: Jacques Kallis Tribute Dinner
Jacques Kallis, Patron of Wynberg Cricket
As we welcome Jacques to the opening of the new Indoor Cricket Centre that bears his name, we revisit and update our press release of April 2019:
On Thursday, 25 April 2019, Old Boy and cricketing legend Jacques Kallis was awarded the Order of Ikhamanga (Silver) by the President, Mr Cyril Ramaphosa.
The Order of Ikhamanga is awarded to South African citizens who have excelled in the fields of arts, culture, literature, music, journalism, and sport. It is one of the highest Orders that can be awarded to a citizen by the President of South Africa. The Ikhamanga, more commonly known in English as the Strelitzia (or Bird of Paradise flower), reflects beauty – just as top sportsmen reflect their unique sporting beauty.
Some well-known South African sporting names who have received this award, since its inception in 2003, are Gary Player (golf – gold), John Smit (rugby), Wayde van Niekerk (athletics – gold), Neil Tovey (soccer), Natalie du Toit (swimming –gold), and Bryan Habana (rugby)
The only cricketers previously to have received the award are Mkhaya Ntini, Shaun Pollock, and Basil D’Oliveira.
Jacques' cricketing achievements are well known. Discussions are still ongoing regarding the best all-rounder ever in cricketing history –Jacques Kallis of South Africa or Garry Sobers of the West Indies? Wynberg boys think it is not a debate, as does Wikipedia, which describes Jacques as ‘one of the greatest cricketers of all time’, having scored more than 10 000 test and ODI runs as well as taking 250 wickets in both forms of the game.
Jacques left Wynberg in 1993 as Captain of the 1st XI, vice-captain of WP U18 (Nuffield) side, and an SA Schools player. He earned three Century Trees at the Oval, which now bears his name. Little did we know in 1993 that he would be selected for the national side two years later.
Jacques would retire from test cricket in 2013, after seventeen years and 166 tests, with 45 test centuries to his credit. And the cricketing world was not slow to honour him:
ICC Player of the Year: 2005
ICC Test Player of the Year: 2007
Wisden Leading Cricketer of the Year: 2008
SA Cricketer of the Year: 2004 / 2011
Wisden Cricketer of the Year in his retirement year: 2013
Some interesting personal records:
Most runs in SA Test Cricket: 13,289 (4th on the all-time list)
292 test wickets (7th on SA bowling list)
In 2005, WP awarded Jacques a benefit year. He opted to give all the money raised to a Scholarship in his name, enabling promising cricketers to attend four prominent cricketing schools around the country – of which Wynberg was one. The criteria were that, in the normal course of events, these boys would not have been able to attend a school like Wynberg. Since then, over 100 young cricketers have had the opportunity of attending these schools. One of these scholars is Wynberg Old Boy of 2015, and Proteas wicketkeeper, Kyle Verreynne.
Wynberg remembers Jacques Kallis with pride. Not only is his name immortalised at his old school in the Jacques Kallis Oval, but also in the two Wills ‘Man of the Match’ trophies, which he was awarded in his first World Cup in 1996 in India. He donated these two impressive trophies to the School, and these are now presented annually by both High and Junior Schools to their respective ‘Cricketers of the Year’.
Wynberg takes pride in honouring Jacques as Patron of Cricket, and opening the new Indoor Centre in his name.
A #WynbergMedia article with thanks to former WBHS Headmaster, Mr Keith Richardson.
Follow the official opening on YouTube from 18h30 on Tuesday, 23 September 2025.
Order of Proceedings
Opening Address
Mr Deon Scheepers, Headmaster of WBHS
Cricket Development at WBHS
Mr Esmund van Wyk, Director of Cricket
Patron of Wynberg Cricket
Mr Jacques Kallis
Chairperson of the School Governing Body
Ms Michelle Harley
Tour of the Facility
Exhibition match has been postponed.
Old Boys' XI
Taahir Samaai (2012)
Tristan Coetzee (2016)
Mathew Goles (2014)
Sabir Mallie (2011)
Shadley Allie (2024)
Craig Jeffery (2019)
Maahir Eksteen (2017)
Ebrahim Fakir (2024)
Nicholas Govender (2021)
Quintin Dreyer (2013)
Imtiyaaz Samaai (2019)
Umpires:
Brent Piet (2006) & Jason Harrison (2019)
WBHS 1 XI st
Storme van Rooyen
Moosa Gabriels
MA Schroeder
Jiyaad Abrahams
Qaeed Shaik (wk)
Michail Tarentaal (c)
Joshua Prince
Chad Campbell
Harbin Smith
Fawaaz Hendricks
Luke Kleinsmith
Ihsan Khan
Damien Harris
WBHS proudly hosts this year’s CSW, welcoming the 1 XI teams st from St Andrew’s College, Selborne, St Andrew’s School, Union High, Rondebosch, SACS, Graeme College, Dale, & Queen’s College
WBHS 1st XI T20 team head to Pretoria from 16 - 19 October to compete in the Wildeklawer ‘North-South’ T20 Tournament.
Follow Wynberg Cricket: Facebook
A Bumper Collection of Events in Store!
During the October school holidays Wynberg Cricket’s U14A head to the Hilton College Festival in KwaZulu-Natal, the U15A head to Pretoria Boys’ High for the Sommerville Cricket Festival, while WBHS U14B play in the local Cape Junior Festival, and our U19 Stayers side will play in the Somerset College U19A Festival.
Keep up to date with all Wynberg Sports Fixtures d E t b it !
Esmund van Wyk Director of Cricket
Naming of the Jacques Kallis Oval
A #WynbergHeritage photo collection from Thursday 26 November 2009 when the Wynberg Oval was renamed as the Jacques Kallis Oval in honour of ...
[Wynberg Old Boy Jacques'] feats on the world cricket stage. 10 000 runs and 250 wickets in both forms of the game have seen him rise to the top ten run scorers of all time.
Cricket lovers will argue for years whether he, or Sir Garfield Sobers, is the best allrounder in cricketing history.
2009 WBHS School Magazine.
View the Photos - Oude Wijnberg Archives
ganised by n, and the t the Cape 015.
r Quirk, the our Life’ school world stage. berg tional t tribute to one of crickets greatest all-rounders