We immediately pronounce West Indian genius Garry Sobers the undisputed champion and the debate quickly moves to the 1980s.
Nothing like a nostalgic dip in what was a fantastic era for all-rounders. Our own Richard Hadlee battling the likes of England's Ian "Beefy" Botham, Pakistan's Imran Khan and India's Kapil Dev.
Some hours later, we always fix on the same ranking.
Hadlee was the best bowler of the "fab four" and had the best moustache. Khan gets the batting gong. Botham had that irresistible X-factor. Dev took more wickets and scored more runs than the other three.
Eventually, someone will pipe up and say, "Hey, what about Kallis."
And what about Jacques Kallis?
Sentiment aside, he mounts a compelling claim as, at the very least, the equal of Sobers.
Statistically, it is so hard to separate the pair. Kallis has played significantly more tests and consequently scored more runs and taken more wickets. But their career averages are remarkably similar.
So why then is Kallis so often the forgotten man in the debate.
Perhaps it comes down to style as much as substance.
With the bat, the left-handed Sobers was graceful yet forceful, and he was remarkably versatile with the ball. He could bowl two styles of spin and was also a fine left-arm seamer, a superb fielder and bold captain.
Kallis' batting is seen in a very different light. Words like gritty and grafter come to mind. His robust defence and flawless technique make him one of the most difficult players in world cricket to pry from the crease.
He is also a fine bowler, capable of unexpected bounce and pace, although his influence with the ball has diminished over the years.
Determination, as fine an attribute as it is, is not necessarily the quality which compels people to queue up to get into the ground.
The advent of twenty/20 and IPL has seen Kallis adopt a more aggressive style but he is certainly no Chris Gayle, Richard Levi or Brendon McCullum.
He just does not play those kind of memorable innings. It took Kallis 143 tests before he posted his first double century and his whole career has been a sort of slow-boiler.
It took him 20 tests before he averaged more than 30 with the bat and he only broke into the 50s after 63 tests. In many respects, Kallis is an example to us all.
Hard work pays off.
His batting contemporaries - Ricky Ponting, Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara - all had more immediate success and have enjoyed the headlines for a greater part of their career.
Perhaps another reason Kallis' wonderful record is often overlooked is the perception, real or imagined, that he is a selfish cricketer who has played for his average.
His slow scoring rate has not helped his image in that regard, with his critics suggesting he needs to put his foot down more often.
It is a mean-spirited appraisal and the type which tends to be generated from outside the camp.
Kallis plays the way he does because that is the only way he knows how and he has been remarkably successful at it.
It is a shame we have not seen more of him in New Zealand. He was last here with the Proteas in 2004 and scored 354 runs in three tests at an average of 70.80, and 1288 runs that calendar season.
How do you forget a player like that?
There is every chance Kallis will remind us of his talents in the first test between South Africa and New Zealand starting in Dunedin on Wednesday.
The Super Six
Best all-rounders
> Jacques Kallis
Country: South Africa
Tests: 150
Batting: 12,260 runs at 57.02, 41 centuries
Bowling: 274 wkts at 32.51, 5 five-wicket bags
> Sir Garfield Sobers
Country: West Indies
Tests: 93
Batting: 8032 runs at 57.78, 26 centuries
Bowling: 235 wkts at 34.03, 6 five-wicket bags
> Sir Ian Botham
Country: England
Tests: 102
Batting: 5200 runs at 33.54, 14 centuries
Bowling: 383 wkts at 28.40, 27 five-wicket bags, took 10 wickets in a match four times
> Imran Khan
Country: Pakistan
Tests: 88
Batting: 3807 runs at 37.69, 6 centuries
Bowling: 362 wkts at 22.81, 23 five-wicket bags, took 10 wickets in a match six times
> Sir Richard Hadlee
Country: New Zealand
Tests: 86
Batting: 3124 runs at 27.16, 2 centuries
Bowling: 431 wkts at 22.29, 36 five-wicket bags, took 10 wickets in a match nine times
> Kapil Dev
Country: India
Tests: 131
Batting: 5248 runs at 31.05, 8 centuries
Bowling: 434 wkts at 29.64, 23 five-wicket bags, took 10 wickets in a match twice
