LOSING LIKE THIS BRINGS YOUR FEET BACK ON GROUND: AMLA

CENTURION: Ahead of the final ODI, which basically would only be for pride, the hosts got a piece of bad news. Their main pace bowler Kagiso Rabada was fined for giving India opener Shikhar Dhawan a send-off.

Asked if this was too harsh a sanction, considering that many famous players get away with equally if not more outrageous acts, senior batsman Hashim Amla said that although the team wouldn’t want to comment on the issue, they’d like things to be consistent. “Those type of things, we leave it to the authorities. KG is a fast bowler, we’ve seen fast bowlers, spin bowlers all get involved in their bowling. It is not for me to comment on it. It is for the authorities to decide, what’s in the game, what’s not in the game. All we can ask for is things to be consistent,” said Amla ahead of the final onedayer.

Amla said that the loss to India in the ODIS is, in a way, silver lining because it has brought their feet on the ground. “In this series what has been highlighted is that we haven’t been able to score runs in the middle period due to their spinners bowling decently and the younger guys in our team learning a lot about themselves and playing spinners. Playing spin was not an issue in the past but the silver lining is that when you lose matches, it highlights the problem and it only makes you better. So when it comes to other series and World Cup, we are better prepared for it.

“To lose a series like this brings your feet back on the ground. When you are playing well, with somebody playing a brilliant innings, cracks can be covered. But when you are losing in this manner, whatever adjustment needs to be made, you focus on that. And for me, that is a very positive thing that anybody can take whether it is in sport or business or whatever. It is a healthy situation in one respect and that is a positive we take.”

Admitting that the Proteas have played good cricket only in patches and not been consistent, Amla refused to blame the bowlers. While he admitted that they have failed to get early wickets, he praised the bowlers for pulling them back in the latter overs. He, however, said that the batsmen are to blame.