Amla finishes top of the run-getters list in Tests and T20s : Hashim Amla, who led the team in the first two Test matches in the recently concluded home series against England, quit captaincy at the end of the drawn second Test at Newlands, Cape Town.
Having lost the first Test at Kingsmead, Durban, the Proteas came back strong to draw the high scoring second Test.
Responding to England’s huge first innings score of 629 runs, which saw a record sixth-wicket partnership of 399 runs between Ben Stokes (258) and the wicket-keeper Johnny Bairstow (150), South Africa replied with 627 runs with Hashim Amla notching up 201 runs.
With England occupying the crease for the last six sessions, the match ended in a draw. Scoring 7, 12, 201, 40, 5, 109 and 96 totalling 470 runs in 7 seven innings, at an average of 67.14 with 201 as his highest, Amla tops the run-scorers’ list in the four Test matches.
Having played a big role in the second Test taking his team within just 2 runs shy of England’s total in the first innings he had a huge role to play in both the innings in the fourth and final Test played at Super Sport Park, Centurion.
Losing Dean Elgar (20) early on in the innings, Amla was involved in a huge second-wicket partnership with the debutant opener, Stephen Cook, who went to score is maiden Test century (115), which yielded 202 runs, with Amla contributing 109 runs.
This partnership laid a very strong foundation and was instrumental for SA to pile up 475 runs in their first innings.
Taking a crucial lead of 133 runs, SA declared their second innings with 248 runs for the loss of 5 wickets. Hashim Amla played another cameo innings in the second knock, putting on 96 runs, missing the back-to-back century by a whisker.
Eventually SA won the match by a huge margin of 280 runs and was able to end the Test series, 1-2 in England’s favour.
Amla had two centuries, a half-century and had hit 67 boundaries. He did not hit even a single six in the seven innings.
He is closely followed in the list by Ben Stokes who scored 411 runs from seven innings, with 258 as his highest score. Scoring at a strike rate of 109.02, he has a century and a half-century to his credit.
In the T20I series which SA won 2-0, Amla scored 91 runs in 2 innings, remaining unbeaten on one occasion and topped the leading run-scorers’ list.
Opening the innings, in the first game at Newlands, Cape Town, alongwith the wicket-keeper, AB de Villiers (7), Amla scored 22 runs off 21 deliveries with 3 fours. SA won the match by 3 wickets.
In the second and final encounter at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg, Amla, chasing 172 runs for a win, notched up an unbeaten 69* runs off just 38 deliveries, at a strike rate of 181.57 with 8 fours and 3 sixes.
Taking centre-stage he was involved in two big partnerships. With his opening partner and wicket-keeper, AB de Villiers (71), he put up a first-wicket partnership of 125 runs in 8.2 overs and later on with his skipper, Faf du Plessis (22*), he added 47 runs in 6.2 overs, to win the game by 9 wickets with 32 deliveries remaining.
Amla is closely followed by Jos Butler of England, who had a tally of 86 runs from two innings (unbeaten on one occasion) with 54 as his best score.
However, with a total of 383 runs from 5 innings, with 112 as the highest score, Alex Hales of England, occupies the top slot in the ODI run-getters’ list. He also has a century and 4 half-centuries to his credit.
Hashim Amla, with 196 runs from 5 innings (unbeaten twice), 127 being highest, occupies the fifth position. He has a century and a half-century to his credit.
