Hashim Amla - the monk from Durban shines again - Opinion
Flashy wrists, a confident smile and a penchant for scoring when it matters, are the best ways of describing Hashim Amla. Arguably regarded as the finest batsman that South Africa has produced in contemporary times, Hashim Amla carved out something truly
special on the Third day of the First Test in the Investec Series of 2012.
After England posted a respectable 385, South Africa was up against it after a below par performance with the ball. An early dismissal of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/AN-Petersen-c1028 to a deadly in swinger by James Anderson signaled ominous signs for the tourists who had a history of
choking under pressure. Then comes a calm, level headed, erudite batsman, who managed to study his conditions as if he was deep in meditation. A few in dippers from http://www.senore.com/Cricket/SCJ-Broad-c2465 managed to beat the bat
of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/GC-Smith-c1473 occasions but the same could not be said about Amla. When Amla embraced the crease, he played with a strange sense of assurance that has been associated with him, whenever it looks like he would give you a chance in the slips.
Hashim Amla currently stands at 183 not out and his team sits proudly at 403 for two after being nought for one at one stage. The class that http://www.senore.com/Cricket/David-Ivon-Gower-c52869 was going on about was characterized by punchy back foot drives, deft touches which guided the ball through
the leg side and the full face of the bat whenever a silken cover drive was played. In a nutshell, Amla’s assured approach was what South Africa needed to ensure that choking under pressure was well and truly avoided. Through this fourteenth hundred in Test
cricket, he managed to guide South Africa to a position of command and authority which looked like a distant possibility.
For those who watched Amla play over the years, his innings at the Oval yesterday, was nothing new or surprising. As his opponents watch in awe, time and again http://www.senore.com/Cricket/HM-Amla-c1557’s innings were tailor woven to perfection. It almost feels that if he fails to score,
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/DL-Vettori-c1384 at first slip. That dismissal was the catalyst for horrific
things to come and triggered a collapse that South Africa would never forget. In the few Test matches which South Africa had lost since 2008, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Hamisi-Abdallah-c61368 was probably the most prized wicket and the opposition knew that they had a chance if they got him out early.
The Indians would definitely recall his magnificent 253 not out at Nagpur which hinted at defiance. They threw everything at him and even verbal bashing proved to be futile. Here was a man in meditation. A man who knew that moral victories come from the
heavens and he need not smash the ball hard to prove a point. All he needs to do is to caress the ball into the gaps, middle them to perfection and help post a score that would end the pointless brawl. The conjecture which is fixated into the mind often yields
dividends and the same can be said about Amla’s worldly pursuits.
His spiritual presence at the crease would irk http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c56013. Some would say that it’s a battle of men versus boys. That entire assumption comes from the fact that the man batting for South Africa is deep in thought and believes in the unthinkable.
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