Mighty # makes the Bullring his playground
‘We did a bit of work and thankfully there are some runs to thank my coach with’
AS usual, Hashim Amla, the modest Mighty #, was happy to praise others after returning to form with a bang at the Wanderers yesterday.
Amla praised his batting coach Phil Russell, who coached Natal when Amla first broke into the provincial team and was also head groundsman at Kingsmead.
“We did a bit of work and thankfully there are some runs to thank him with and for all the guys who have sent me messages of support, I’ve given them something back,” said Amla,
Amla had tried very hard to ignore the hoopla of his 100th Test, but for all his coolness he’s still only human and as a great student of the game he’d have understood the significance of this milestone.
His own form has also not been great – in terms of results at least. He’s struck the ball sweetly in a number of innings recently, but pretty 30s and 40s are not what make Amla “the Mighty #”.
Amla admitted being frustrated about getting starts and not turning them into something substantial. So he took greater care yesterday as he set out to make his 100th Test appearance more than just about receiving a gold coin, a specially embroidered shirt and a framed montage of his greatest moments.
The Sri Lankans took advantage of the early tension that Amla displayed. They worked the area around his off-stump, beat the bat occasionally, tested his front foot defence – which was for the most part solid – and built enough pressure that in the over before lunch Amla lost concentration, threw his bat at a ball he thought he could drive, but only edged it towards gully where Dhananjaya de Silva dropped a low chance.
Amla admitted afterwards that the moment reminded him of a Test at this same venue nine years ago. On that occasion the opponents were New Zealand, he was on two, he played a similar shot to the one he did yesterday, but instead of gully the edge went to Kiwi wicketkeeper that day Brendon McCullum, who missed the opportunity. Amla finished that innings unbeaten on 176. It was a platform of sorts from which his great career was launched.
There has seldom been a batsman more adept at making the opposition pay after they’ve dropped him than Amla (in his famous 311 at The Oval in 2012, Andrew Strauss missed a chance when Amla had 40) and yesterday De Silva and Sri Lanka paid a heavy price.
“The element of fortune is extremely important,” he quipped.
The other more significant assistance for Amla came from teammate JP Duminy who produced a delightful century, his second of the season. In the early stages the freedom with which he played, allowed Amla time to get through the lengthy difficult period at the start of his innings.
“I was trying to stay in my zone. Whether he was getting runs or not was immaterial ALSO INSIDE: Afcon Group C, P30 Novak seeks ‘007’, P31 Rory one off pace, P31 to the way I was going to play,” Amla explained.
“What we’ve noticed with JP is that when he’s on song, he’s a beautiful player to watch. His judgment is great and his timing is immaculate. It’s always a pleasure to bat with him. He’s got a hundred in Australia, a 60 in this series too. Finding that consistency is important and he is finding it exceptionally well.”
It took Amla 15 minutes short of three hours to register 50, he admitted the Lions bowled an excellent line to him especially in the hour before lunch. But once that mini-landmark had been achieved “the Mighty #” of old made the Wanderers his playground and he and the elegantly driving Duminy flattened the tourists.
“On this type of wicket you’re never in. Myself and JP kept reminding ourselves about the next ball, the ball was nipping and swinging, any ball could get you out.”
Amla felt that whichever way Faf du Plessis chose to go after winning the toss, the Proteas would have finished the day on top.
“Thinking about day 4 or 5 on a wicket like this which could be even more difficult to bat on… it’s quite a challenging wicket and with the new ball there’s quite a lot of nip and it’s still shaping.”
Amla shaped up pretty well yesterday, recent struggles have been forgotten. The Mighty # is back. Don’t drop Hashim Amla Poor old Dhananjaya de Silva. You just know that Amla will make you pay if you give him a life. Andrew Strauss’s miss is probably the most famous – a difficult one at slip when Amla had 40 – at the Oval in 2012 and from which Amla settled in to complete his 311. Yesterday Amla had five, in the last over before lunch and De Silva missed – again a tricky chance – but one he’d expect to take. Lunch came and went, as did tea and when stumps were drawn, Amla was still there. He’ll resume this morning, with South Africa in a dominant position. The thick rubber sole Oh Angelo, get your boot-maker a Bells. It took TV official Aleem Dar quite a bit of time, along with plenty of assistance from the TV’s auto-zoom tool to determine that a smidgen of the sole of Mathews’ heel was behind the crease when he dismissed Stephen Cook lbw. Duminy’s driving clinic It’s been a signature shot of his throughout his career, but in the midst of all his struggles it’s led to his downfall too. This season though, he’s gone back to utilising it as a weapon. He creamed the Australians in Perth when he made 141 and yesterday he utilised it often and all of them were quite beautiful. Straight down the ground, through the covers and one where he used his feet to Herath and put him through extra cover – arguably the shot of the day. Quote “There’s so much more to be involved in, every series has a different flavour and challenge and those challenges spur me on.” – Amla on what keeps him motivated and why he’ll keep going for the Proteas for the foreseeable future. Heroes You can’t go away from Amla and JP Duminy. They shared a stand of 292 for the third wicket, getting South Africa out of a tricky situation after the openers were dismissed within five balls of each other. Duminy was sublime, the yin to Amla’s yang initially and he kept it up as he carved out the second highest score of his Test career Villain De Silva. See above. Players to score 100 in 100th Test – Colin Cowdrey (Eng) 104 v Australia, 1968 – Javed Miandad (Pak) 145 v India, 1989 – Gordon Greenidge (WI) 149 v England, 1990 – Alec Stewart (Eng) 105 v W Indies, 2000 – Inzamam ul-Haq (Pak) 184 v India, 2005 – Ricky Ponting (Aus) 120 and 143* v SA, 2006 – Graeme Smith (SA) 131 v England, 2012 *Hashim Amla (SA) 125* v Sri Lanka, 2017