It may be over two-and-a-half years since Hashim Amla retired from international cricket but his legacy not just remains as strong as ever, but it is growing. There was always a feeling that South African cricket lovers might not fully appreciate what they were about to lose when he left the international stage after the 2019 World Cup, but they certainly do now.
As the Proteas embark on a three-match ODI series against England which, realistically, they must win to have a chance of qualifying automatically for the World Cup in India in October, how they would cherish the services of the most consistent ODI batsman in the country’s history.
Amla was the fastest in history to each landmark between 2000 and 7000 runs and remains there having surpassed such luminaries as Sir Vivian Richards, Sachin Tendulkar, and Brian Lara. And for a man who was regarded at the start of his career as a ‘red ball specialist.’
“The mark of greatness is the ability to adapt and change, finding ways of doing things you couldn’t do before, and which people said you couldn’t do,” said Amla’s former teammate, Faf du Plessis once Amla’s retirement from all professional cricket had been announced.
“The mark of greatness in this game is not just about how many runs you scored or how many wickets you took, or even how you did it, but about the impact, you made on your teammates and how you affected their lives.
“Hash was the ‘Silent Warrior’ on the field because you never realized how much he was hurting you until you liked at the scoreboard and then you realized he was hurting you a lot. But off the field, he was the most influential man any of us ever played with, a figure of calm that we could only aspire to.”
It is often said of great cricketers that ‘statistics do not do them full justice.’ In the case of Hashim Amla, the statistics will always remain one source of full justice because they are extraordinary. Full justice to the impact he has had on South African cricket, and the global game, will take years to unfold.
10 AMLA CENTURIES:
- SA vs England, 28 August 2012
Amla scored a staggering 150 which helped South Africa to a good score of 287 against England at the Rose Bowl in 2012.
- SA vs Pakistan, 2 November 2010
He scored 119 not out and the second-highest score was 26. That tells you the story. Amla carried SA to a two-run victory and his great batting display in such fatiguing conditions earned him the Man of the Match award.
- SA vs Pakistan, 17 March 2013
Amla 122 off 113.
- SA vs India, 23 January 2011
116 not out which carried South Africa to an adequate score of 250. The Proteas defeated India by 33 runs and also claimed the series.
- SA vs West Indies, 30 May 2010
129 by Amla was enough to claim a seven-wicket victory over the West Indies at the Roseau Stadium
- SA vs Australia, 30 January 2009
97 by Amla which entitled him to the Man of the Match award. The visitors triumphed with a 39-run win.
- SA vs New Zealand, 24 October 2014
119 The tone was set by Amla as the game was virtually a one-man show.
- SA vs Bangladesh, 9 November 2008
Amla, who scored his maiden ODI century, set up a crushing 128-run win against Bangladesh at the Benoni Stadium in 2009. The most significant performance of the match was by Amla who stole the headlines with his 140 runs and received the Man of the Match award.
- SA vs Zimbabwe, 20 August 2014
An in-form Amla notched up 122 not out as South Africa defeated Zimbabwe by 93 runs in Bulawayo.
- SA vs Sri Lanka, 6 July 2014
The Proteas defeated Sri Lanka by 75 runs in 2014 at the Colombo Stadium. Amla anchored the innings with a hard-fought 109.