Undoubtedly, one of the best hitters to represent South Africa in international cricket is the renowned Hashim Amla. On January 18, of last year, he declared his retirement from all forms of cricket.
The right-handed batter, who was born in Durban on March 31, 1983, attended Durban High School and then became the Proteas captain for the 2002 Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand. South Africa advanced to the finals under his direction, but they were defeated by Australia.
A few years later, at the storied Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Amla made his senior debut for South Africa in a Test match against India. Amla, who was once thought of as a Test specialist, had to wait four years to receive his first ODI cap, which he received against Bangladesh in 2008 at Chattogram’s Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium. He made his T20I debut against Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane, and ten months later, he was an all-format player for the Rainbow Nation.
Hashim Amla’s incredible career stats
Throughout his remarkable career, Hashim Amla broke numerous records and established himself as one of the most reliable batters in all formats. In the fifteen years of his glorious career, Amla participated in 124 Tests, 181 ODIs, and 44 T20Is.
Hashim Amla scored an outstanding 46.64 average across 9,282 runs in the game’s longest format. In the format, he recorded 41 fifties, 28 tonnes, four double hundreds, and one triple hundred. At The Oval in London, he scored 311 not out in his greatest Test score against England.
His ODI records are equally impressive, if not better, than his Test stats, which are rather impressive. Amla scored 8,113 runs at a 49.47 average and an 88.39 strike rate in 181 ODIs. In 50 overs, he hammered 39 fifties and 27 hundreds.
Even though Hashim Amla is a touch player, he has remarkable success in the Twenty20 format. He amassed 1,277 runs at an average of 33.61 and a strike rate of 132.06 in 44 Twenty20 Internationals. In the format, the 40-year-old recorded eight half-centuries. Amla participated in 16 IPL games and scored two century and three fifties. In the cash-rich league, he averaged 44.38 with a strike rate of 141.77. On June 28, Amla participated in his final international match of the 2019 ODI World Cup against Sri Lanka. He would give up all types of athletics four years later.
Amla entered the coaching field after calling it a day on his illustrious playing career. He was hired in August 2023 to serve as the Johannesburg-based Lions’ three-year batting coach.
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