Hashim Amla rates the pitch at Birmingham as difficult for stroke-play – Cricket news Hashim Amla, the South African batsman, is delighted with his team’s performance in their second group match of the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 against Pakistan at Birmingham but feels that the track was extremely difficult to bat on. Having won the toss on a pitch that was expected to slow down with the passage of time, AB de Villiers, the South African skipper, had no hesitation to bat first. Amla showed his class and scored a valiant 81 off merely 97 balls with the help of nine boundaries, assisting his team to post a competitive total of 234 runs on the board for the loss of nine wickets in their allotted 50 overs. As the pitch deteriorated, things became extremely tough for Pakistan, who managed just 167 runs before being bowled out in 45 overs. The right-handed batsman praised the performance of South Africa’s bowling unit. “I think the way we fielded and bowled upfront made 230 seemed a lot more. The wicket deteriorated and it wasn't the easy wicket to bat on. As Phangiso, Robin Peterson, and JP Duminy bowled, it made it a lot more difficult,” the stylish batsman said. The 30-year-old cricketer is jubilant that he was able to contribute towards his team’s cause and believes that 234 was always going to be a tough total for Pakistan to overcome. “I'm just glad I managed to contribute to the team. It was a tough wicket. And upfront, I kept chatting with my partner,” he added. “In hindsight, I think it was probably a vital partnership in the first 10 overs, and I think we got about 30 odd. So I'm just fortunate to have contributed a bit.” The cricketer from Natal is considered to be one of the finest batsmen of the modern era, having already scored more than 9,000 runs at the ultimate stage of the game with the help of 30 centuries in just 70 Tests, 71 One Day Internationals and 15 T20 Internationals. In the absence of Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis, there is an added responsibility on the shoulders of Amla and De Villiers.
Tags: