Hashim Amla: A rock in defence, blissful in attack
Almost impenetrable in defence, but also a force in attack, Hashim Amla’s work with bat in hand has taken him to the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.
Revered for his graft and toil in tough periods, but also a modern record-setter in the faster formats, Hashim Amla’s tally of almost 19,000 international runs for South Africa has been recognised with his induction into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.
With 55 international centuries to his name, and selected six times across ICC Team of the Year selections across formats, Amla is regarded as one of the first three-format greats.
On the occasion, Amla was thankful for the recognition.
"It is an honour to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame, especially alongside Graeme.
"The Hall of Fame includes some of the most celebrated players in the history of cricket, all of whom have big achievements. Such recognition feels surreal, and I am really thankful."
The Master of Class | Hashim Amla | ICC Hall of Fame
Timeless technique, unmatched temperament. The game bows to Hashim Amla, one of the most revered batters of his era.
Finding his feet (and hands) in the international game
Amla’s stance, trigger movement, and twirl in his backlift were truly his own, and eventually effective, having found his feet after a slow start to international cricket.
Debuting in 2004, Amla did not pass 25 in his first six innings, though the right-hander hit back through a stunning comeback innings of 149 (408) against New Zealand in Cape Town in April 2006, saving the match for the Proteas.
Amla smashes 22 off Jordan's over
The innings jumpstarted Amla’s career, who averaged a touch under 60 for close to 20 Tests as a dependable No.3. Boasting centuries came in India and England, the right-hander was pivotal in South Africa’s historic tour of Australia, in which he helped the Proteas to both Test and ODI series victories in the 2008/09 season. He made 259 runs in the Test series at 51.80, before leading the run-scoring charts for the Proteas in the ODI series, averaging 49.75.
In 2010, featuring in a fiercely contested Test series in India, Amla arrived at the peak of his powers, returning with 253*,* 114 and 123 runs from his three innings on the tour. He made an unbeaten century against Pakistan and a home hundred against India in the same year, before compiling tons in both Tests of a drawn home series against Australia in the following year.
Making of a Champion - Hashim Amla
A tough Test opponent, and a force against the white-ball
For all of his success in Test whites, it was the ODI format where Amla was the yardstick of his generation, racing to milestones at breakneck speed.
With some questions on whether he could flourish, Amla once again quashed the critics. In 2010, he turned into a run machine, making five centuries and four fifties in the space of 15 innings, raising his bat across the world - in India, the West Indies, on home soil and the UAE - during his purple patch.
Amla became the fastest batter to reach 2000 ODI runs in 2011 (40 innings), and was the quickest to score 10 ODI hundreds when he made a spectacular 150 (124) against England in Southampton in 2012.
The latter record was later usurped by fellow Protea Quinton de Kock, though his march to 20 ODI hundreds off just 108 innings, remains not only untouched but unrivalled, with Virat Kohli’s 133 innings the next best.
In the race to ODI run milestones, Amla remains among the best years after his retirement. His run to 7000 ODI runs (150 innings) remains a record, with his run to 8000 (176) only second to Virat Kohli's (175).
In the T20I arena, Amla accelerated through a mix of power and craft, making his international runs at an average of 33.60 and a strike rate of an impressive 132.05.
Hashim Amla after reaching his triple hundred against England in 2012 // Getty Images
A bowler’s nightmare in all conditions
Genius in shot selection, surgical in shot placement, deliveries full and outside off-stump got the cover drive treatment, and as bowlers honed their lines closer to off-stump, Amla was an expert in whipping into leg-side gaps. He enjoyed stints atop both ODI and Test ICC Batting Rankings, and was a thorn in the side of opponents whether at home or on tour, underlined by strong records across the world and shown through series victories home and away.
His 55 international hundreds, split almost evenly across the two longer formats, is only bettered by five other batters, with his 18,553 runs making him the third-most prolific run scorer for his country behind AB de Villiers and Jacques Kallis.
His 311* in a victory against England at The Oval in 2012 remains the only Test triple century for the Proteas, and his run from 2010 to 2013 was reflected by four consecutive ICC Men’s Test Team of the Year selections. Amla was also selected in the ODI Team of the Year in 2013 and 2015.
Amla was also awarded South Africa’s Order of Ikhamanga in 2018, a national award for his achievements in cricket, and retired from international cricket in 2019.