Hash is back!
Sri Lankan top order ripped away as Proteas’ bowlers go to town
HASHIM Amla turned 100 Tests old this week, as he and the Proteas take on Sri Lanka in the third and final Test at the Wanderers.
The tributes have poured in, all unanimous in praise of the rock of the South African top-order. His family is just as proud of the footprint that the Silent Warrior has left on the game of cricket, and those who have met him through the sport.
“I’m so proud of the man that he has become,” said his cousin and former garden cricket teammate, Zahira Asmal, one of South Africa’s leading urbanists.
“My early memories of Hashim were of all of us playing cricket in the back garden. For some reason, he and I always used to play in the same team. He was Jonty Rhodes, and I was Dean Jones, who were our respective childhood heroes.
“I remember that he didn’t trust me to run between the wickets when we were batting. So I stayed in my crease, and he would do all the running!”
Away from the field, Amla is regarded as having a sharp sense of humour, and his cousin says that thread has run through his entire life. Such as when they were youngsters and craved a late-night treat.
“He used to ask my older sister to sneak a couple of scoops of ice-cream, to eat under the covers when we were supposed to be already sleeping!” But she says it has been the grown-up Hashim who has had the most profound impact on her life.
“A few years ago, when I was in London, he came on tour with the Proteas, and we hung out. I was incredibly touched by how worldly and well-read he was. He introduced me to Buddhism, and a few other books that illustrated that even as a man devoted to Islam, he was still open to learning more about other people and their cultures. I think, for all his cricket talent, that evening made me realise that he was a great man. He is inclusive, and not exclusive.”
Amla also produced tickets for the Lord’s Test for Zahira and friends, some of whom had never been to a cricket match. She tries to see her famous baby cousin play when she can, but she is wary of going to the Bullring this week.
“The last time I was there, for the pink ODI last year, I had just found my seat, only to see him go out for a duck! It was my birthday (Friday the 13th) so I thought that maybe I should stay away.”
As it was, Hashim gave his cousin – and the rest of world cricket – an early birthday present, marking his poignant occasion with a century that broke his runfast of late.
Mirroring the rhythm of his career to this point, he started slowly, before finding fluency and unfurling the grace that has marked him as one of the modern game’s greats.
Zahira followed his knock with keen interest. Whether watching from the stands or following updates from friends, Hashim Amla’s original batting partner has been beaming all week, thinking back to those days of childhood dreams.
“I and the rest of the family are just so proud of the man that he has become. More than what he has achieved as a cricketer – which has been pretty amazing, too!”
SUPERB bowling by Kagiso Rabada and Vernon Philander ripped out the Sri Lankan top order before poor light stopped play on day two to put South Africa in a powerful position going into the weekend.
With the rain clouds gathering and South Africa’s performance turning stale, Kagiso Rabada and Vernon Philander provided the spice that was so desperately needed.
Until the tea break, the day belonged to Sri Lanka after they had managed to bowl South African out for 426 an hour after lunch.
With the exception of an early Philander wicket, Sri Lanka made light work chipping away at the target as they raced to 46 for the loss of one wicket before tea.
Up to this point Nuwan Pradeep’s bowling performance (4/78) from the morning highlighted the day’s play but there was nothing much to write home about from a South African point of view.
That is until Rabada was handed the ball after the break, bowling from the Golf Course End after Duanne Olivier had his first bowl in Test cricket and grabbed a maiden.
Philander and Rabada starred with the ball as they swung the advantage back in South Africa’s favour with bowling figures of 2/23 and 2/26 respectively.
Kaushal Silva (13) and Kusal Mendis (41) launched a promising fightback for Sri Lanka, despite the early loss of Dimuth Karunaratne, courtesy of Philander, in the first over of their innings.
The duo scored at a steady pace before Rabada made the breakthrough an over into the evening session, when he induced a nick from Silva for a regulation catch for Quinton de Kock behind the wickets.
Rabada struck soon after the tea break before Philander added another to swing the advantage back in South Africa’s favour.
One could sense the momentum swing as the all-out South African pace attack threatened to rip through the Sri Lankan batting order.
Five overs later Rabada added his second scalp, removing Mendis, who was on the cusp of building a good innings. The South African surprised Mendis as the ball leapt up with the batsman lobbing the ball to JP Duminy, who took an easy catch in the slip cordon.
Dhananjaya de Silva (10) faced 24 deliveries before he found Temba Bavuma at point. Sri Lanka were then on 70 for four and knee-deep in trouble.
Sri Lankan captain Angelo Mathews, on 11, and Dinesh Chandimal, with 3, were at the crease before bad light stopped play.
The Sri Lankan bowling attack buried the memory of the first day that was dominated by superb batting performances from Hashim Amla and JP Duminy.
South Africa went into the second day with a significant advantage, but the tourists made small inroads with some neat bowling before taking a flurry of wickets before lunch.
The home side went into the second day 338/3 after Amla became only the eighth player in cricket history to score a hundred in his 100th Test.
Aided by Duminy, who set the pace on the first day with his second-highest Test score of 155, Amla resumed play on the second day, facing hard batting conditions.
Pradeep demolished the South African middle order with some superb fast bowling, taking four wickets for 15 runs in seven overs.
South Africa slumped to 398/8, adding 60 runs to the overnight total before the lunchtime break, with De Kock and Wayne Parnell providing some resilience.
To highlight South Africa’s struggles at the crease, the team lost five wickets for 32 runs in 12 overs before lunch.
Mathews made an early breakthrough, claiming the scalp of nightwatchman and debutant Duanne Olivier (3) before the bleeding started in earnest.
After surviving an early dropped catch and two body blows, Proteas captain Faf du Plessis eventually became Pradeep’s first victim.
Pradeep added the scalps of Amla (134), Temba Bavuma (0) and Philander (0), leaving South Africa on their knees.
De Kock added a valuable 34 with Parnell, making a 23run contribution in their ninthwicket partnership of 45 runs.
Lahiru Kumara tied up the innings, removing De Kock and Parnell to register figures of 4/107.