Mighty hash - The end of the road

                                                                      Picure credits: www.bbc.com

The last week or so has been tough as an avid follower of the sport. First, Dale Steyn announced his retirement from Test cricket, and not so long after Hashim Amla announced his retirement from all forms of the game. These two have impacted and served South Africa cricket for a lot of years and their contribution has been immense to the standing of South Africa in international cricket today

Hashim Amla, born in Surat, India - the "Mighty Hash" as they call him went on to become a legend in the sport playing cricket for South Africa. They say numbers don't lie and it is true in Hashim Amla's case. He's the second highest run scorer for South Africa in Tests, behind Jacques Kallis, with 9282 runs in 124 matches. He has the highest individual score for South Africa in Tests - 311* against England in England. Wait, that's not all - he has equally good records in ODI cricket too. He's the third highest run scorer for South Africa in ODI's behind Jacques Kallis and Ab De Villiers, with 8113 runs in 181 ODI's. Also, just in case if you don't know how good are those numbers, he's the fastest to 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000, 6000, and 7000 ODI runs. It's not over yet - he's the fastest to score the first 10 centuries in ODI cricket. The only thing he couldn't wipe out for South Africa cricket is their tag of "chokers" as he couldn't win them an ICC trophy after all. 

Numbers are just the facts into numbers. However, I always am fascinated by the story, in the sense that how much a player has impacted the sport in a whole and their nations respect in the sport. Hashim Amla in his career has played in a way that commands discipline. In 2010, as an Indian cricket fan, I hated Hashim Amla when South Africa toured India. This man was hard to stop. The first test in Nagpur, South Africa were batting first, Hashim Amla virtually opened the innings with Greame Smith as South Africa lost their first wicket at 5. From there, Hashim Amla carried his bat through the innings unbeaten after playing 473 balls scoring 253 runs, his first double hundred. Along with Jacques Kallis' century, South Africa posted a mammoth 558/6 and didn't have to bat again. Guess who bowled out India before they go past 558? Yes, Dale Steyn - another legend South Africa has produced. He took 10 wickets in that match, 7 in the first and 3 in the second innings to set up a humiliating defeat for India. The subcontinent was made Amla's fortress and he didn't disappoint in the 2nd Test at Eden Gardens with yet another century in the 4th innings with a hope to save the Test. Unfortunately for South Africa, they lost the match, but there was a legend born - a legend to take bowlers in their own backyards. He scored 123 runs playing 394 balls in the quest to draw the Test and take the series for South Africa. In the first innings too, he scored 114 runs, and ended the series with 3 centuries in 3 innings including a double century. This was just the beginning, his 196 in Australia and 311* in England are just a few other innings to mention, the Mighty Hash he here to stay. He is one amongst the 5 players in the history of the sport to score 25+ centuries in both ODI and Tests. 

It's pretty unfortunate that his career slipped in the latter part and he couldn't do much in the 2019 CWC as South Africa went crashing in the groups stages of the tournament. I wish him all the best for his second innings and hope he scores a century as he has over the years playing the sport. Goodbye to "Might Hash", the silent yet a powerful sidelined career to Ab De Villiers glamorous 360 career.