Justin Langer and Matthew Hayden, Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar, Dravid and VVS Laxman, Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara - some batsman just love batting with certain team-mates in Test cricket, whether it's when they are on the front foot or in a bit of a hole.

In the recent Ashes matches the Michael Hussey-Brad Haddin partnerships proved to be something special, but they were not quite good enough to save Australia. It was the opposite for the England duo of Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott.

Some things just flow naturally and it's proving to be the case for not only Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis, but also Kallis and AB de Villiers in South Africa's middle order. Amla's emergence as a top-class batsman means the Proteas now have the luxury of two formidable partnerships in the middle that deliver more often than not.

Amla and Kallis have done the business for the Proteas in the past year or so, but Kallis is also fond of batting with de Villiers and the duo often notch up centuries when they bat together.

When Amla made a less than convincing start to his international career in 2004, few would've predicted that he would blossom into a free-flowing batsman in not only Test cricket but also the limited-overs game. When you think of the Amla of 2004 and you add the Kallis of a few years back then it doesn't paint a very exciting picture. It was usually hard graft as Amla was struggling to knuckle a place down in the South Africa starting XI and Kallis was, well, being Kallis.

Fast-forward six and a bit years and an Amla-Kallis partnership is one of the most exciting in world cricket. A Kallis-de Villiers stand is usually equally thrilling these days. Everyone knows about de Villiers' attacking prowess, but Amla and Kallis are equally attacking. Amla's foray into limited-overs cricket has helped him to develop his attacking instinct.

We have also seen another side to Kallis (no, I'm not referring to his new hairdo). But maybe it's the youth of Amla and de Villiers, although both are in the mid-20s, that is bringing the best out of the South Africa's elder statesman or maybe they just like batting with the veteran due to his calm nature.

Kallis and Amla are probably the two most laidback players in the South African dressing room so you can see why they like batting together. Both can get wrapped up in a bubble and just continue doing their job. It's the opposite for Kallis and de Villiers as the latter is an attacking player and generally very bubbly. So they complement each other nicely.

Amla and Kallis have scored 2,862 runs, including three triple- and three double-ton stands, when they've batted together at an average of just over 63. The stats are even better for Kallis and de Villiers as they've scored just over 2,500 runs at an average of 78.50.

No-one's quite sure what makes these partnerships work, but Kallis is the key to it all. He is obviously getting on a bit - although you wouldn't say that judging by the way he continues to dish up milestone after milestone - and his retirement date can't be too far off. However, he has done a pretty fine job helping South Africa's next generation to learn how vital big partnerships are to winning games.