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Top 10 Unknown Facts about Shaun Pollock

Shaun Pollock is a famous South African cricketer. Photo by Warenski sourced from

Shaun Maclean Pollock is a South African former cricketer and commentator who was also the captain in all formats of the game. He was born on 16th July 1973 in Port Elizabeth, Cape Province, South Africa.

Shaun is a descendant of a family that has Scottish ancestry. The paternal grandfather of Shaun, Andrew Pollock was born in Edinburgh and played for Orange Free State.

Shaun attended school at Northwood in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. Shaun has always been regarded as the greatest fast bowler in cricket.

He formed a bowling partnership with Allan Donald that lasted for many years and won at least everything. Shaun captained the South African cricket team from 2000 to 2003 and was part of the African starting eleven.

Shaun Pollock studied Commerce at the University of Natal and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree. Here are the top 10 Unknown Facts about Shaun Pollock:

1. Shaun’s Belongs to a Family of Cricket Stalwarts

Shaun Pollock comes from a family of cricketers. He is not the only one to have participated in cricket.

Shaun’s father, Peter Pollock and uncle Graeme Pollock were cricketers. They were counted among the most influential South African cricketers of all time.

Shaun’s grandfather, Andrew Pollock (the father of his uncle and dad) was also a wicketkeeper for the Orange Free State. Robert Howden, the brother-in-law of Andrew also played for Natal.

Shaun’s cousins, Andrew and Anthony also played cricket for Transvaal. This is how great the family of Shaun Pollock were in cricket.

2. Shaun had a Perfect Debut where he Scored a Fifty and took Four Wickets

Shaun Pollock shines up the ball at Australia vs South Africa. The original uploader was Hamedog at English Wikipedia sourced from

Shaun Pollock made his South African cricket debut in 1995-96. He played his debut alongside Jacques Kallis against England on their home tour.

This was a perfect One Day International (ODI) debut they played at Cape Town. Shaun managed to score 66 not out battling at No 8. He then took four for 34.

Shaun became among the few players to score a fifty and took four wickets in the One Day International debut. He also managed to retain the highest score knock by a batsman on his ODI debut.

3. Shaun Represented Mumbai Indians and England Club

Shaun’s success was not only based in South Africa only. In the summer of 2008, Shaun Pollock represented Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier league.

He also played for Durham Dynamos in the 2008 Twenty20 Cup in England. Shaun also played for Durham County Cricket club located in the North East of England.

At Durham County Cricket Club, Shaun played alongside fellow South African Albie in the Twenty20 Cup competition. Shaun was the first in his family to play for an English club.

4. Shaun is the Only Cricketer with 3000 Runs and 300 Wickets

Shaun in the Nets. Photo Sourced from

The records held by Shaun Pollock are so amazing. He is an all-rounder in modern cricket.

When Shaun had the ball, he could deliver incisive spells upfront. He was also a useful batsman who always made some useful runs.

In some Tests, Shaun got 3781 runs and 421 wickets. In the One Day International, Shaun had 3519 runs and 393 wickets. This record made him the only player to achieve 3000 runs and 300 wickets in both the Tests and ODIs.

5. Shaun is the Only Cricketer with Two Test Tons at No 9

Shaun Pollock is in action. Photo Sourced from

Shaun Pollock has always played in all positions ranging from No 4 to No 9 in Test cricket. In 2001, Shaun Pollock had his Test tons coming at number nine. Shaun became the only Cricketer with two Test tons at number 9.

6. Shaun Regularly Plays Golf for Charity Events

Other than being good in cricket, Shaun Pollock is an all-rounded sportsman who can participate in other sports. Shaun regularly plays golf with his good friend and golf icon Gary Player.

He plays in the Gary Player Invitational charity golf series. Shaun participates in this charity to raise funds for underprivileged children.

7. Shaun was Dropped from South Africa Team for Loss of Form

Shaun Pollock is bowling to Michael Hussey. The original uploader was Hamedog at English Wikipedia sourced from

Since his debut in cricket, Shaun Pollock enjoyed long spells of success and wins. However, in the 2005/2006 Test Series tour of Australia, Shaun started losing his wicket-taking ability.

Shaun was disappointed in this Test Series tour which got him criticised for the loss of form. This made him lose the captaincy for the South African team.

In September 2007, Shaun Pollock was officially dropped from the South African Test side which was a major blow to his career. It was his first time being dropped from the national team.

8. Shaun Married Miss South Africa Pageant and have Two Daughters

Shaun Pollock is a husband and father to two daughters. He married Patricia Trish Lauderdale.

Patricia Lauderdale was a finalist in the early 90s Miss South Africa pageant and also worked for South African telecom company MTN. The two have two daughters, Jemma and Georgia.

Jemma is the first child who was born in August 2003. Georgia was born in July 2006.

9. Shaun Holds Four Unbreakable Records in Cricket

Shaun Pollock in his farewell match. Author; Warrenski.

Shaun Pollock is among the most decorated cricketer even though he had his period of lows. Other than holding the record of most Test tons at number nine, Shaun holds four more records.

Shaun holds the record for playing most ODI innings (189) before scoring a century. He also holds the record for the first test captain to remain unbeaten on 99 in test innings.

Shaun also holds the record for the most ODI wickets (193) while playing on home soil. He also holds the record for bowling 313 overs in ODI history.

10. Shaun Received Presidential Honour for his Achievements

The achievements of Shaun Pollock never went unrecognised. He was conferred with the OIS which means Order of Ikhamanga.

The OIS is an honour granted by the South African President for excellent achievements in arts, culture, literature, music, journalism and sports.

Shaun Pollock is a great achiever in South Africa, but his achievements cannot be overlooked globally as he has influenced the lives of several people. He will always be honoured and acknowledged for his greatest work in cricket and charity too.