South Africa’s Hashim Mahomed Amla showed refreshing freedom in the recently concluded series in Australia. The 25-year-old Amla struck a purple patch in both the Test and ODI series to put his country on top. Starting from the first Test in December 2008 and till the last one-dayer in January 2009, Amla played a significant part with the willow. He proved he is no ordinary cricketer, rather one blessed with sound temperament, skill and elegance. A resourceful batsman, Amla took his chances Down Under and emerged as a force to reckon with for the visitors. Of Indian descent and hailing from a family that had settled in Durban, Amla showed extraordinary talent from his younger days. His strong on-side play resembles that of former Indian captain Md Azharuddin. Amla’s whipping of the ball from the off-stump to mid-wicket boundary prompted Ian Chappell, former Australian captain, to say that the South African batsman reminded one of Azharuddin. Having graduated from under-19 cricket, Amla made steady progress into the South African team. Interestingly, he made his Test debut against India at Eden Gardens in Kolkata in 2004. But he was never sure of his Test place till a few years ago. Solid performances during last year’s tour of India and England and now during the tour of Australia have made him an integral part of the South African line-up. The way Amla goes about his work with the willow in hand is different from his teammates. His batting is based on sublime skills; he is more of an Oriental style. Amla has set his priorities right and his batting has steadily evolved in the past year. When South Africa toured India in March last year, Amla struck 159 in the first Test at Chennai and then made 81 and 51 in the three-Test series to make a mark on sub-continent wickets. Then came the England series, in which Amla showed sound technique against moving deliveries. He slammed an unbeaten 104 at Lord’s and ended the tour with 36 and 76 in the last Test at the Oval.
But the biggest test for the South African was the recently concluded Test series against Australia. Amla batted with flair and purpose. He shared important partnerships with skipper Graeme Smith in the Perth Test, in which the Proteas chased a record target of 413. A first innings score of 47 was followed by a crucial 51 that laid the foundation for South Africa’s win. Two half-centuries in the last Test at Sydney made it easy to retain him in the one-day squad. Playing as an opener, he ended the tour with 97 at Perth. Quite clearly, Amla is a class act for South Africa.
das@epmltd.com