OPINIONISTA: Hash can leave the stage on a high By Richard Calland
Last Thursday, a legion of Hashim Amla fanatics breathed a collective sigh of relief as the veteran Protea batsman was selected in South Africa’s provisional World Cup squad.
It seems likely now that Amla will open the batting for the Proteas in the opening game of the tournament on 30 May at the Oval – scene of Amla’s finest innings, his glorious triple hundred in the first Test against England in the 2012 series. The sad thing was that few others in the ground were sober enough to absorb the display of skill out in the middle. Englishmen – and women – are not prone to allowing a lengthy rain delay to be anything other than a rich excuse to accelerate their rate of boozing.
When, like many in the early foothills of their Test career, Amla nicked off a few times for modest scores, commentators queued up to question his technique. Why? Because having seen Amla make 300 in a Castle Cup final was evidence enough for the wily Kirsten that he had what it takes to succeed at the highest level, as he has proved over and over again in the 124 tests that he has played since his debut 15 years ago in December 2004.
Consider this: despite the fact that 2018 was the hottest summer since 1976, the average runs per wicket in the English county championship last season was the lowest since the early 1960s – and not all the games took place during the chilly opening weeks or the dewy last phase of the Championship.
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