What would Sangakkara and Kallis average if they never had to keep/bowl?

[PlayerComparisons]

What do you think they’d average with the bat if they never had to wicketkeep/bowl and could focus completely on their batting?

 

[Coronis]

They would’ve averaged worse, sub 50 most likely.

 

[SillyCowCorner1]

A genuine all-rounder gains momentum when he is doing good with the ball. Momentum.

Kallis would be as good as Jayawardene.
Sanga could probably raise his average a few points, and yet his dad + @Himannv would still be disappointed.

 

[Prince EWS]

99.94

 

[Flem274*]

Upper cap on all greats except Bradman and to date Smith seems to be high 50s, which they're at or close to, so probably still that.

I suspect Kallis in particular would have sacrificed second skill development over batting, so he probably had more scope to improve as a bowler if in an alternate reality he couldn't hold a bat.

 

[PlayerComparisons]

I think they would average 60

 

[HouHsiaoHsien]

A genuine all-rounder gains momentum when he is doing good with the ball. Momentum.

Kallis would be as good as Jayawardene.
Sanga could probably raise his average a few points, and yet his dad + @Himannv would still be disappointed.

What did his dad do?

 

[reyrey]

Sanga averaged 66.78 without the gloves over 88 Tests

Averaged 40.48 when keeping in 48 Tests.

 

[Ali TT]

Most of Sangakkara's keeping was in the early part of his test career, which makes it hard to say whether that oft quoted average of 66 is due to him not having the gloves or him hitting his prime in his late 20s/early 30s.

 

[Coronis]

A genuine all-rounder gains momentum when he is doing good with the ball. Momentum.

Kallis would be as good as Jayawardene.
Sanga could probably raise his average a few points, and yet his dad + @Himannv would still be disappointed.

Would be good to finally see Kallis on Jayawardene’s level.

 

[HouHsiaoHsien]

What did his dad do?

Just checked on the net. Not even sure whether Himanv and his dad are separate people

 

[reyrey]

Most of Sangakkara's keeping was in the early part of his test career, which makes it hard to say whether that oft quoted average of 66 is due to him not having the gloves or him hitting his prime in his late 20s/early 30s.

Between Sangas debut in 2000 as a keeper and him giving up the gloves in Tests (April 2008) he also played 25 Tests as a specialist bat and averaged 88.52

He had a higher average without the gloves before he hit "prime".

 

[Victor Ian]

Sanga would have averaged less. Keeping trains you to focus more on the ball.

 

[HouHsiaoHsien]

Sanga would have averaged less. Keeping trains you to focus more on the ball.

Also, Sanga learned a lot about playing Ajmal and offspin in general, from keeping to Muralidharan

 

[SillyCowCorner1]

Sanga averaged 66.78 without the gloves over 88 Tests

Averaged 40.48 when keeping in 48 Tests.

Any similar stats for Kallis in matches where he didn't bowl?

 

[Red_Ink_Squid]

I think they would average 60

This. Both would average exactly 60 over their careers.

 

[Socerer 01]

Between Sangas debut in 2000 as a keeper and him giving up the gloves in Tests (April 2008) he also played 25 Tests as a specialist bat and averaged 88.52

He had a higher average without the gloves before he hit "prime".

assumed that it was because he feasted on Zimbabwe and Bangladesh but even taking them out he averages 74 in this period and he didn’t have particularly big scores against West Indies either so its quite impressive and dispels a false narrative

 

[reyrey]

Any similar stats for Kallis in matches where he didn't bowl?

10 Tests averaged 77.46

 

[HouHsiaoHsien]

We need Himanv to balance this overpraise of Sangakkara

 

[Ali TT]

Between Sangas debut in 2000 as a keeper and him giving up the gloves in Tests (April 2008) he also played 25 Tests as a specialist bat and averaged 88.52

He had a higher average without the gloves before he hit "prime".

Yes, but he'd actually given up the gloves in 2006, covering for one test in 2008.