Amla Focusing on http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 Series
One of the mainstays of the South African batting line-up, the bearded Hashim Amla is focusing on the tour of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/United-Arab-Emirates-c3033 where his team would take on Pakistan in a test and ODI series.
Amla who has hit back to back hundreds against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Zimbabwe-c3045 in the ongoing ODI series at home feels that the real challenge is against the Pakistanis who are a real force in conditions that are set to be similar to the sub-continent.
"We're under no illusions about our performances here. Although it's been a good start for us, we know against Pakistan it won't be anything like this," Amla said. "We know how tough it's going to be there, but by the same token we're
just trying to get some good form going in the batting and bowling departments.”
He added that his rich form against the minnows of the game is going to take him to the Desert Safari in a positive frame of mind.
"It's a lovely feeling going into the last game knowing you've actually won the series and the mindset is to try and keep building especially before we take on Pakistan."
The Proteas have been in great form against the Zimbabweans thus far with the batsmen in fine knick and making the most of the inexperience in their opponents’ ranks.
On the other hand the bowlers this series have been well below par letting the opponents off the hook more than once and allowing them to post scores of 250-plus in each of the ODIs. Batting-wise Amla admitted that his team has done
well, however he accepted that they still needed to do more in the bowling department.
Amla has acknowledged the dip in the bowling form, yet he feels that the dip against the minnows is far better than slipping up against a formidable team that can make full use of a slacking performance.
"We have been a bit sloppy and dropped one or two catches, but we'd rather have it now than during a big series against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 or Pakistan or even in the World Cup.
Amla who has been one of the most successful batsmen in the three formats of the game in the last year or two feels that his team took the Zimbabweans lightly.
He also admitted that the Africans were no push over’s at least in the batting department where they have some enterprising stroke players.
Amla said that they started slowly, however his side has managed to build momentum and that is how they have looked at the series against Zimbabwe. He admitted that they were under no illusion that they have suddenly transformed into
world-beaters after clinching the series against Zimbabwe. He went on to state that they still had some tough times ahead of them against Pakistan who, on any given day, can be as formidable as the best sides of the world.
The South Africans are set to play two T20’s, five ODI’s and two test matches against Pakistan. The series commences from the 26th of this month with the opening T20 match, the second match in the shortest format of the
game would be played the next day.
The ODI series starts on the 29th with the first two matches in Abu Dhabi followed by the last three in Dubai.
The first test match is from the 14th of November in Dubai, followed by the second and final test at Abu Dhabi.
The last bilateral series between the two teams was in 2007 when the Proteas won the test series 1-0, before scoring a 3-2 win in the ODI series held in Pakistan.
However in the T20 format Pakistan has the edge with victories in the last two matches held in the World Championships of 2009 and 2010, on both occasions the men in green knocked the Proteas out of the tournament.
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