Born on this day in 1973, Pollock carried an enormous workload throughout his career. He took the new ball, scored crucial runs in the lower middle order and captained the Proteas during one of their toughest periods.
The son of Peter Pollock and nephew of Graeme Pollock wasted little time creating his own legacy. On his ODI debut against England at Newlands in 1996, he blasted 66 and ripped through the tourists with figures of 4-34.
Pollock rarely relied on express pace. His weapons were relentless accuracy, subtle movement and an almost unforgiving ability to attack the stumps. When he reached 200 Test wickets, his bowling average was the lowest among the 41 players who had achieved the milestone at the time.
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He later charged into the record books as the first South African to take 400 Test wickets, breaking new ground for the generation of Proteas quicks that followed.
His time as captain ended in heartbreak after South Africa miscalculated the Duckworth-Lewis target against Sri Lanka and crashed out of their home World Cup in 2003. He returned for a fourth tournament in 2007 before retiring from international cricket the following year.
A metronomic bowler, dangerous lower-order batter and Proteas trailblazer, he truly was the complete package.
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Happy Birthday @7polly7
First South African to take 400 Test Wickets
423 International Matches, 7386 Runs, 829 Wickets
Wisden Cricketer of Year 2003
He smashed 66 and took 4 for 34 on his ODI debut.
Took 4 Wickets in 4 Balls on his county debut. pic.twitter.com/XIgPc4G1dY
— Cricketopia (@CricketopiaCom) July 16, 2026
Photo: REUTERS/Mike Hutchings
