Why Amla should go to the World Cup
The ‘Mighty Hash’ has suffered a lean period lately, but he is an innings from finding his form
South Africans are on edge as they wait for the announcement of the World Cup-bound squad.
Cricket SA convener of selectors Linda Zondi‚ president Chris Nenzani and CEO Thabang Moroe will put the nation out of its misery on Thursday when they name the squad.
While the majority of the squad to be led by Faf du Plessis pretty much picks itself with about 13 players almost certain to travel‚ the biggest question mark is whether batting mainstay Hashim Amla will be on the flight to England.
The 36-year-old long-time premier top order batsman has struggled with form over the past few months and like most South Africans‚ I can’t decide whether he should be selected or not.
The thing is cricket is a sport of numbers and Amla’s figures have been unimpressive for a while. I have no doubt that this reality must have been the focal point for the selection thinktank during their deliberations.
At the conclusion of the Sri Lanka tour in March‚ coach Ottis Gibson made it clear that Amla‚ who was out of action looking after his ill father‚ was still part of his plans.
Against Sri Lanka‚ he scored a meagre 51 runs during the 2-0
Test series defeat‚ a poor return by his high standards and he was not considered for the following limited overs series.
The “Mighty Hash” returned to competitive cricket in the recent Cricket SA Twenty20 Challenge and his struggles continued as he only managed 61 runs after five innings.
On Tuesday he scored four off 11 in the Cobras’ five-run win over the Knights at Newlands and by the time he takes to the pitch again on Sunday against the Warriors we will all know where he stands with regards to the World Cup.
Though his numbers have been poor‚ he is still a seasoned veteran of 174 ODIs where he has scored 7‚910 runs at an impressive average of 49.74.
You cannot just ditch that kind of experience and I think Amla must resume his partnership with Quinton de Kock at the top of the order.
During his successful career of more than 11 years‚ Amla has played in two World Cups and if the selectors give him what would be his ODI swansong‚ it would be at the expense of promising Reeza Hendricks.
Though Hendricks is definitely one for the future‚ in my view he has often flattered to deceive and often failed to convert good starts into big scores.
He had a poor ODI series against Sri Lanka but he redeemed himself in the T20s to end as the man-of-the-series.
Aiden Markram’s advantage over Henrdicks is that he is currently playing in the same conditions of the World Cup in England with Hampshire and he did enough by finishing as the top scorer during the Momentum One Day Cup, with 542 runs after five innings.
The selectors have a lot of other headaches and they have to worry about the side strain and shoulder injuries to fast bowlers Lungi Ngidi and Anrich Nortje‚ which forced the duo to miss the Indian Premier League.
But we are told that they are making good progress in their recoveries. The selectors will go with one wicketkeeper and David Miller as backup.
Hard luck to Hendricks. But if I were to be forced to commit myself‚ I would go with my head and take Amla to the tournament to open the batting with De Kock.