Tag: Hashim Amla

Text Info Strip

Back

Proteas Prepare for International Summer as SACA MVP Expands 

The South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) anticipates an exciting international summer for both the Proteas Men and Women. Kicking off…

Read More

SACA Celebrates Tony Irish on Receiving the Prestigious Tim May Medal of Honour

The South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) is proud to celebrate its founder and former CEO, Tony Irish, who received the…

Read More

Kyle Simmonds Crowned Overall Division 1 SACA MVP

The 2025/26 domestic cricket season concludes with Western Province all-rounder Kyle Simmonds named Division 1 Overall SACA MVP. Simmonds earned…

Read More

PAKISTAN EDGE PROTEAS IN ODI SERIES OPENER

Mohammed Hafeez provided the top-order experience that Pakistan had lacked in the Test series to get his side over the line for a five-wicket victory over the Standard Bank Proteas with five balls to spare in the opening Momentum One-Day International at St. George’s Park on Saturday.

The experience of the Momentum Man of the Match was there for all to see as his unbeaten 71 off 63 balls (8 fours and 2 sixes) got his side over the line and made sure there would be no 11th-hour stumble.

The other key batting contributions for Pakistan came from Imam-ul-Haq (86 off 101 balls, 5 fours and 2 sixes) and Babar Azam (49 off 69 balls, 5 fours) who put on 94 for the second wicket to lay the foundation for victory.

Other important contributions came on the bowling front from Hasan Ali (1/42) and Shadab Khan (1/41) who had the most economical bowling figures in the match and tied down the Proteas batsmen at critical times.

The Proteas total of 266/2 on the back of a 155-run second wicket partnership between Hashim Amla and new cap Rassie van der Dussen always looked a little bit below par and so it turned out to be.

Amla put his barren 2018 ODI year behind him with his 27th century in this format (108 not out off 120 balls, 7 fours and 1 six). It was his first century at this venue and his third against Pakistan which tied the South African record against these opponents of AB de Villiers.

Van der Dussen made South Africa’s fourth highest ODI score on debut (93 off 101 balls, 3 fours and 3 sixes) and had every reason to feel happy about his first performance.

The other debutant, Duanne Olivier, turned in a mixed performance. He did outstandingly well in the opening power play, taking 1/13 in 4 overs, and there is no doubt that, although he has to work on his white-ball skills, he provides genuine wicket-taking opportunities.

The two areas that the Proteas will undoubtedly reflect on will be their batting in the final power play and their bowling in the second power play.

The Proteas only managed to score 76 in the final 10 overs, way below their norm which often runs to three figures.

On a slow-paced pitch that lacked bounce and pace and under conditions that provided neither seam nor swing assistance the Proteas were left with a lack of wicket-taking options in the middle overs and it required the part-time spin of Reeza Hendricks to break the second-wicket partnership.

The chances are that pitches may be similar for the ICC World Cup and the Proteas will need to consider whether they need to play two specialist spin bowlers as an attacking option.

Share:

Text Info Strip

Back

VAN DER DUSSEN IN FOR ODI DEBUT

Bizhub Highveld Lions batsman Rassie van der Dussen is in line for his ODI debut and seamer World Sports Betting Cape Cobras Dane Paterson has been recalled to South Africa’s 14-man squad for the first two ODIs against Pakistan to be played later this month. Van der Dussen scored a match-winning fifty on his T20I debut against Zimbabwe last year, but missed out on selection for South Africa’s limited-overs trip to Australia in November, while Paterson has not played for the Proteas in this format since his debut series against Bangladesh in 2017.

Hashim Amla, who missed the most recent series in Australia while he was recovering from a finger injury, also returns to the squad but JP Duminy and Lungi Ngidi were not considered as their rehabilitation to full fitness continues.

“We need to look at all the options available to us as we get closer to selecting our final squad for this year’s World Cup,” national selector Linda Zondi said. “Rassie and Dane are two players who have been knocking strongly on the door in all formats.”

After his bright T20I debut, van der Dussen continued to make headlines during the inaugural Mzansi Super League, during which he topped the run charts with 469 runs at a strike rate of 138.75 and played a vital role in Jozi Stars’ title-winning campaign. Paterson has also been there and thereabouts for a while, having played in the T20Is against Zimbabwe and been included as injury cover in the Test squad against Pakistan.

“Those players who went to Australia and have not been selected for the first two matches – Farhaan Behardien, Aiden Markram and Chris Morris – are by no means out of the picture and they may well get further opportunities in the second half of the series,” Zondi said.

“We are very happy with the way in which our Vision 2019 is taking shape. The series against Pakistan could not have come at a better time as they will provide a very stern test for the Proteas under conditions very similar to what we will experience at the World Cup.”

South Africa ODI squad: Faf du Plessis (capt), Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Imran Tahir, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Dane Paterson, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Dale Steyn, Rassie van der Dussen

Share:

Text Info Strip

Back

PROTEAS WRAP UP NINE-WICKET SERIES CLINCHER

The Standard Bank Proteas needed just 47 minutes and 59 deliveries to score the 41 runs necessary for victory and wrap up the Castle Lager Test Series against Pakistan at PPC Newlands on Sunday. They now have a 2-0 lead in the series with the chance to make a clean sweep in the final match at the Bidvest Wanderers Stadium, starting on Friday.

The final margin was 9 wickets after Theunis de Bruyn, opening in place of the injured Aiden Markram, was caught behind off a top edge, attempting to hook a bouncer from Mohammed Abbas.

Hashim Amla retired hurt after taking a nasty blow on the right arm, leaving Dean Elgar and Faf du Plessis to finish the job.

Du Plessis was named Castle Lager Man of the Match for his first innings century that underpinned the Proteas decisive first innings lead.

The Sunfoil Education Trust (SET) has benefited to the tune of R422 500 from the number of fours and sixes hit and wickets taken by the two sides in the series to date with the final tally for the current match being R217 500. The players on both sides score income for the fund by hitting boundaries (R1 000) and sixes (R2 000) and taking wickets (R2 500)

Share:

Text Info Strip

Back

MZANSI SUPER LEAGUE ANNOUNCES FINALISED T20 SQUADS

The inaugural Mzansi Super League (MSL) T20 Player Draft was held today at Montecasino in Johannesburg today.

Each team had already been allocated a Marquee Standard Bank Protea player. Today the teams made their picks from the six International Marquee Players and then filled the remaining 14 places in each squad from the foreign and South African players who had applied to enter the draft.

In the mini-round to select the International Marquee Players, the Durban heat had first call and went for Rashid Khan of Afghanistan, the No. 1 ranked bowler in the current ICC T20 rankings. They were followed by the Jozi Stars who went for Chris Gayle of the Windies. Paarl Rocks followed with another Windies player, Dwayne Bravo. Cape Town Blitz then took Dawid Malan of England followed by Tshwane Spartans with England white ball captain Eoin Morgan and Nelson Mandela Bay Giants with England opening batsman Jason Roy.

In round one proper, the Giants led off with Chris Morris, followed by the Spartans with Lungi Ngidi, the Blitz with Andile Phehlukwayo, the Rocks with Tabraiz Shamsi, the Stars with Kolpak star Dane Vilas and the Heat with David Miller.

Lutho Sipamla became the first rookie to be chosen in Round Eight by the Spartans and they followed with another rookie in Tony de Zorzi in Round Nine. Other rookies signed were Sinethemba Qeshile for the Stars, Dyllan Matthews for the Giants, Okuhle Cele for the Heat, Eathan Bosch for the Rocks, and Kyle Verreynne for the Blitz.

The resulting teams are a unique blend of both local youth and international experience which is sure to make for some very exciting cricket.

The Draft order was predetermined by a weighted Player Matrix system. The players who are eligible for the main Draft are those who entered into a binding agreement to enter the Draft.

FINAL SQUADS

(in order of Protea Marquee Player, International Marquee Player, and then the 14 draft rounds, making a total of 16 players per squad)

CAPE TOWN BLITZ: Quinton de Kock, Dawid Malan (England), Andile Phehlukwayo, Dale Steyn, Samuel Badree (Windies), Asif Ali (Pakistan), Farhaan Behardien, Anrich Nortje, Janneman Malan, Malusi Siboto, George Linde, Ferisco Adams, Jason Smith, Sibonelo Makhanya, Kyle Verreynne (rookie), Dane Piedt.

DURBAN HEAT: Hashim Amla, Rashid Khan (Afghanistan), David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen, Kyle Abbott (kolpak), Keshav Maharaj, Khaya Zondo, Albie Morkel, Marchant de Lange (kolpak), Vernon Philander, Brandon Mavuta (Zimbabwe), Temba Bavuma, Morne van Wyk, Okuhle Cele (rookie), Sarel Erwee, Tladi Bokako.

JOZI STARS: Kagiso Rabada, Chris Gayle (Windies), Dane Vilas, Rassie van der Dussen, Daniel Christian (Australia), Beuran Hendricks, Reeza Hendricks, Dwaine Pretorius, Eddie Leie, Pite van Biljon, Duanne Olivier, Ryan Rickelton, Sinethemba Qeshile (rookie), Simon Harmer, Calvin Savage, Alfred Mothoa.

NELSON MANDELA BAY GIANTS: Imran Tahir, Jason Roy (England), Chris Morris, Jon-Jon Smuts, Junior Dala, Christiaan Jonker, Aaron Phangiso, Ben Duckett (England), Sisanda Magala, Ryan McLaren, Heino Kuhn, Marco Marais, Dyllan Matthews (rookie), Lizaad Williams, Rudi Second, Carmi le Roux.

PAARL ROCKS: Faf du Plessis, Dwayne Bravo (Windies), Tabraiz Shamsi, Dane Paterson, Aiden Markram, Mangaliso Mosehle, Bjorn Fortuin, Vaughn van Jaarsveld, Grant Thomson, Paul Stirling (Ireland), Tshepo Moreki, Henry Davids, Cameron Delport , Eathan Bosch (rookie), Patrick Kruger, Kerwin Mungroo.

TSHWANE SPARTANS: AB de Villiers, Eoin Morgan (England), Lungi Ngidi, Robbie Frylinck, Jeewan Mendis (Sri Lanka), Theunis de Bruyn, Rory Kleinveldt, Sean Williams (Zimbabwe), Gihahn Cloete, Lutho Sipamla (rookie), Tony de Zorzi (rookie), Dean Elgar, Andrew Birch, Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe), Shaun von Berg, Eldred Hawken.

Share:

Text Info Strip

Back

RABADA TOPS ODI BOWLING RANKINGS

Kagiso Rabada, South Africa’s 22-year-old pace sensation, has leapfrogged team-mate, Imran Tahir, to become the No. 1 ODI bowler in the world. The top-two one-day bowlers aside, South Africa go into the ICC Champions Trophy with four of the top-ten batsmen in the format as well, as per the latest update to the ICC rankings. AB de Villiers leads the charts, while Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis and Hashim Amla complete the quartet.

Rabada climbed four spots following the three-match ODI series against England, in which he was the leading wicket-taker with seven wickets at 21.71 – including 4 for 39 in the third game, which helped reduce England to 20 for 6 – and an economy rate of 5.42. Overall in 36 ODI innings since his debut in July 2015, he has 64 wickets at 24.90 and an economy rate of 5.13.

Amla and de Kock were the second and third top scorers in the series, and both move up in the rankings – de Kock from No. 6 to No. 4, and Amla from eleven to ten. De Villiers retained the No. 1 spot, while du Plessis and Tahir lost some ground on the table, falling to No. 2 and No. 6 respectively.

Top-10 ODI batsmen
1 AB de Villiers, 2 David Warner, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Quinton de Kock, 5 Joe Root, 6 Faf du Plessis, 7 Babar Azam and Martin Guptill, 9 Kane Williamson, 10 Hashim Amla

Top-10 ODI bowlers
1 Kagiso Rabada, 2 Imran Tahir, 3 Mitchell Starc, 4 Sunil Narine, 5 Josh Hazlewood, 6 Trent Boult, 7 Chris Woakes, 8 Mohammad Nabi, 9 Shakib Al Hasan, 10 Mitchell Santner

Share:

Text Info Strip

Back

PROTEAS WIN FINAL ENGLAND ODI

Kagiso Rabada and Wayne Parnell cut a swathe through the England top order, taking 6/20 between them in the first five overs, as the Standard Bank Proteas coasted to a seven-wicket victory in the final match of their ODI Series at Lord’s on Monday.

It came too late to affect the outcome of the series which England won 2-1 but the visitors made an important statement ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy tournament with their opening match against Sri Lanka at The Oval on Saturday.

The other teams in their Pool are India and Pakistan.

Rabada, on his first international visit to Lord’s, had figures of 4/39 while Parnell took 3/43, the other three wickets falling to Keshav Maharaj.

What will have pleased the Proteas most, was their improved fielding with Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis – his first one was a special effort – taking two catches each in the slips at the height of the new ball onslaught on a surface that provided assistance to the seamers throughout the match.

Parnell also swung the ball effectively and his two wickets up front of Joe Root and Eoin Morgan were particularly important ones.

The recalled Jonny Bairstow stabilised the England innings with 51 before he walked down the pitch to Maharaj and was stumped by Quinton de Kock by a distance.

England’s total of 153 in 31.1 overs – the match in total only last 60 overs – was well short of par and that became evident when De Kock and Hashim Amla sharing an opening stand of 95 – easily the highest of the match. In the process Amla completed 7 000 ODI runs when he reached 23 and once again was easily the fastest to his latest landmark.

AB de Villiers, who completed the series by winning all three tosses, also achieved a landmark of 100 ODI captaincies and he and JP Duminy completed the facile victory.

Rain threatened throughout the day and the weather must be a concern for all the Champions Trophy participants. It is a very short tournament and no side will be able to afford a washout. Australia’s warm-up match against Pakistan only lasted a handful of overs and South Africa A again were only able to bat half an innings in their second warm-up match against Derbyshire.

Share:

Text Info Strip

Back

DE KOCK TURNS IN ANOTHER FIVE-STAR PERFORMANCE

Quinton de Kock  matched the previous performances of superstars Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers when he was named South African Cricketer of the Year and in all received a total of five awards at a glittering Cricket South Africa (CSA) awards function in Kyalami on Saturday evening.

Only Kagiso Rababa has done better with his six CSA awards last year. The other nine players to have received CSA’s most prestigious award are Jacques Kallis (2004 and 2011), Makhaya Ntini (2005 and 2006), Hashim Amla (2010 and 2013) and AB de Villiers (2014 and 2015) who have all won the award twice with the other previous winners being Shaun Pollock (2007), Dale Steyn (2008), Graeme Smith (2009), Vernon Philander (2012) and Rabada (2016).

In addition to the main award, De Kock was named Standard Bank Test Cricketer of the Year and Standard Bank ODI Cricketer of the Year, was honoured by his peers by being named SA Players’ Player of the Year and by the fans on being named SA Fans Player of the Year.

De Kock did, in fact, receive a sixth award which was for being named the ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year.

His statistics for the year were remarkable, highlighted by his ODI innings of 178 against Australia in a series that saw him score 300 runs at an average of exactly 60 and a strike rate in excess of 137. His Test match performances were notable for his ability to score big runs when needed and to take the game away from the opposition.

In addition, the quality of his glove work was brilliant.

The only awards he did not win for which he was eligible were the Standard Bank T20 International Player of the Year award that went to Imran Tahir for the second year in a row and the KFC Award of Excellence that went to Temba Bavuma, again for the second successive year, for his brilliant run out of David Warner.

De Kock obviously was not a contender for RAM Delivery of the Year and that again went to Kagiso Rabada for his delivery that bowled Usman Khawaja at Perth.

Sune Luus was named SA Women’s Cricketer of the Year while Lizelle Lee was named SA Women’s Players Player of the Year.

The International Newcomer of the Year awards went to Keshav Maharaj and Laura Wolvaardt.

“Simply outstanding! What a year Quinton has had,” commented CSA Chief Executive, Haroon Lorgat. “He has shown the maturity of a seasoned campaigner with performances that have really counted when needed most, often blowing away the opposition in the process.

“It is encouraging that for the second time in a row our premier award has gone to one of our young stars who are shining with distinction alongside our world-class senior players.

“The way the Proteas have come through to rise up the ICC rankings in meteoric fashion has been quite brilliant and we now have a real team in the true sense of the word.

“Our domestic cricket remains blessed with great talents and congratulations to all the winners in those categories as well.

“I warmly congratulate all our winners, both at the international and domestic level, and I also wish to take this opportunity to acknowledge our umpires, grounds staff and scorers, too.”

The Multiply Titans were once again the biggest winners in the Professional Awards: Domestic category. Duanne Olivier of the VKB Knights was named Sunfoil Series Cricketer of the Year but for the rest it was the Titans nearly all the way well with Mark Boucher being named Pitchvision Coach of the Year, Farhaan Behardien CSA T20 Challenge Player of the Year, Henry Davids Momentum One-day Cup Cricketer of the Year, and Aiden Markram Domestic Newcomer of the Year. In addition, the Titans won the CSA Fair Play Award.

Colin Ackermann of the Warriors did the double of Domestic Players Player of the season and the SACA Most Valuable Player award.

Shaun George was named both CSA Umpire of the Year and CSA Umpires Umpire of the Year while there was a proud moment when Marais Erasmus received the David Shepherd Trophy as the ICC Umpire of the Year.

The Africa Cup T20 Player of the tournament went to Patrick Kruger of Northern Cape while PPC Newlands-based Evan Flint was named groundsman of the year

Share:

Text Info Strip

Back

CSA ANNOUNCE ICC CHAMPIONS TROPHY SQUAD

Left-arm spinner, Keshav Maharaj, has earned his maiden One-Day International (ODI) call-up to the 15-man Standard Bank Proteas squad for the ICC Champions Trophy, which was announced on Wednesday.

The squad will play three ODI’s against England starting with the first match at Headingley in Leeds on May 24th, before their first group match of the ICC Champions Trophy against Sri Lanka at the Oval on June 3.

The 26-year-old Maharaj has had an impressive debut season for the Test squad and comes into the squad to bolster the spin options alongside Imran Tahir.

Morne Morkel makes a return to the limited-overs format after nearly 10 months, adding experience to the pace bowling group featuring Kagiso Rabada, Wayne Parnell, Chris Morris, Dwaine Pretorius and Andile Phehlukwayo.

Cricket South Africa (CSA) convener of selectors, Linda Zondi, says the selectors have picked a strong squad which covers all of the combinations and conditions on offer for the eighth edition of the eight-team event. “We have been working with this group of players for the last two seasons where our key emphasis has been consistency in selection,” Zondi commented. “That has shown in how this group has performed over the last while, which has resulted in winning three consecutive ODI series.

“We feel we have a squad that covers every scenario that we could possibly be faced with on the tour. Most importantly, every player knows and understands their role and value within the squad.

“Keshav has had an exceptional debut season for the Test side and his inclusion in the squad gives us a spinner with different skills and extra batting depth. We have seen how important it is to bat deep in ODI cricket, this option will give us that cover if needed.” 

The squad will depart for England on May 16 and will begin their preparations with two 50-over tour matches against Sussex and Northants.
Standard Bank Proteas ODI squad for three-match ODI series against England and ICC Champions Trophy: Hashim Amla (BuildNat Cape Cobras), Quinton de Kock – wk (Multiply Titans), Faf du Plessis (Multiply Titans), AB de Villiers – captain (Multiply Titans), JP Duminy (BuildNat Cape Cobras), David Miller (VKB Knights), Chris Morris (Multiply Titans),  Wayne Parnell (BuildNat Cape Cobras), Andile Phehlukwayo (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Kagiso Rabada (bizhub Highveld Lions), Imran Tahir (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Dwaine Pretorius (bizhub Highveld Lions), Keshav Maharaj (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Farhaan Behardien (Multiply Titans), Morne Morkel (Multiply Titans).

Share:

Text Info Strip

Back

ELGAR LEADS PROTEAS REVIVAL

Dean Elgar struck one of the finest centuries for his country to help the Standard Bank Proteas fight back from early trouble to end day one of the first Test against New Zealand with honours even at the University Oval in Dunedin on Wednesday.
 
The left-hander showed nerves of steel as he batted through the day to end unbeaten on 128 (262 balls, 22 fours) – South Africa reaching stumps on 229/4.
 
Elgar’s seventh career century was his second-longest in terms of balls, with the highest being the 316 deliveries he faced for 127 against Australia in Perth last year. It also came on the back of the tourists being in a huge hole at the start after they slipped to 22/3 in the first 19 overs against a disciplined Black Caps attack. Faf du Plessis (52 off 118 balls, 7 fours) and Temba Bavuma (37 not out) were also integral to the recovery.
 
The visiting captain won the toss at the start and took the rare option to bat first, the first time such a decision had been made in 22 Test matches in New Zealand – the last being in a clash between the hosts and Pakistan in Wellington during 2011. But it looked a questionable call as Stephen Cook (3), Hashim Amla (1) and JP Duminy (1) were all dismissed early, the latter pair removed within the space of five Neil Wagner (2/59) deliveries.
Elgar, who was dropped by wicketkeeper BJ Watling on 36, and Du Plessis then dug in as they put on 126 for the fourth wicket to give the innings a significant boost.
 
After the skipper fell to Jimmy Neesham (1/29), Bavuma proved the perfect foil with a typically determined 101-ball knock that enabled a further 81 to be added to the total with the visitors ending the day in the ascendancy.
Share:

Text Info Strip

Back

SHAMZI NAMED IN PROTEAS ODI SQUAD

 

Tabraiz Shamsi today was named as a new cap in the Proteas ODI squad for the triangular series in the Caribbean next month against hosts, the West Indies, and Australia.

The Unlimited Titans 26-year-old left-arm wrist spinner will become the 116th player to represent the Proteas in the 50 overs format.

“We have opted for three specialist spinners as we anticipate the pitches in the Caribbean to be on the slow side,” commented CSA selection committee convener, Linda Zondi. “Tabraiz has certainly earned his call-up following outstanding form both in our domestic cricket and in some of the major domestic T20 leagues including the Caribbean Premier League.

“He has shown what he can do in the T20 leagues against international batsmen. I am quite excited about the state of our spin bowling and the variety we have. We are sending two wrist spinners to the Caribbean plus left-arm and right-arm finger spin options. Spin bowling is becoming an increasingly important part of both limited overs formats and we are only just over a year away from the ICC Champions Trophy Tournament in England.

“In the short term our immediate focus must be to get back among the top ranked Test nations and for this reason we are resting Dale Steyn for this tour. He is vital to our ambitions in the longest format and he is going to have a heavy workload in the months ahead with home and away series against New Zealand, a home series against Sri Lanka and an away Test series in Australia which is where we need to perform,” explained Zondi. “He is certainly not out of the ODI picture and could well feature in the home series against Australia later this year.”

Wayne Parnell returns to the Proteas ODI squad for the first time since last year’s ICC World Cup in Australasia. “Wayne has the ability to become a quality all-rounder for us and, like Tabraiz, he is being rewarded for outstanding domestic form,” concluded Zondi.

Faf du Plessis has been included in the squad despite the current injury to his finger, and is expected to return to action for the Proteas’ second match of the triangular series. Proteas team manager, Dr Mohammed Moosajee explained:

“Faf sustained a broken left ring finger during the IPL two weeks ago and had fixation surgery to repair the bone tip this Tuesday in Cape Town. The surgery was a success and we are expecting a period of between four to five weeks for a full recovery. At this stage we are targeting for him to return to action for our second ODI against Australia on June 7.”

Proteas ODI squad: AB de Villiers (The Unlimited Titans, capt), Kyle Abbott (Warriors), Hashim Amla (Cape Cobras), Farhaan Behardien (The Unlimited Titans), Quinton de Kock (The Unlimited Titans), JP Duminy (Cape Cobras), Faf du Plessis (The Unlimited Titans), Imran Tahir (Sunfoil Dolphins), Morne Morkel (The Unlimited Titans), Chris Morris (The Unlimited Titans), Wayne Parnell (Cape Cobras), Aaron Phangiso (bizhub Highveld Lions), Kagiso Rabada (bizhub Highveld Lions), Rilee Rossouw (VKB Knights), Tabraiz Shamsi (The Unlimited Titans).

Share:

Text Info Strip

Back

AMLA SET TO JOIN KINGS XI PUNJAB

South Africa batsman Hashim Amla is set to replace the injured Shaun Marsh at Kings XI Punjab. Marsh was ruled out of IPL 2016 on Monday due to a back injury.

It is understood that clearances for Amla’s stint with the team have been obtained and ESPNcricinfo has learnt that he is expected to join the side soon.

Amla, who stepped down as South Africa’s Test captain in January this year, is yet to make his IPL debut. The batsman was part of the player list for the 2016 auction in February, with a base price of INR 1 crore, but remained unsold.

Overall, Amla has played 88 T20s scoring 2446 runs at an average of 31.35 and a strike rate of 125.95. He scored two fifties as an opening batsman for South Africa in the recent World T20, tallying 120 runs in four matches in the tournament at a strike rate of 134.83.

 

Share:

Text Info Strip

Back

PROTEAS ICC WORLD T20 SQUAD ANNOUNCED

 

Cricket South Africa’s (CSA) National Selection Panel on Wednesday named the 15-man Oxigen Proteas squad to compete at the ICC World Twenty20 to be played in India next month.

Rilee Rossouw and David Wiese, who missed the India series through injury, return to the squad, as does Aaron Phangiso who has been preferred to Eddie Leie as the second specialist spin bowling option.

Dale Steyn also makes a return to the squad, although his inclusion is subject to his being passed fit. Steyn was rested for the Proteas’ previous T20 assignment away to India and injury has prevented him from playing much international cricket since then.

 

The 15-man squad will also do duty in the upcoming KFC T20 International Series to be played against England and Australia during the course of the next four weeks.

 

“We have a lot of experience in this group with 10 of the players having played in the last World Twenty20 in 2014, also on the sub-continent,” commented Cricket South Africa (CSA) selection convener, Linda Zondi.

 

“The inclusion of Aaron means that we have all our spin bowling options covered with he, Imran Tahir and JP Duminy offering the different varieties. Left-arm spin bowlers tend to play big roles under Indian conditions.

 

“Dale’s return is very good news,” he added.  “He brings tremendous experience and leadership to the team, not to mention his skills as the outstanding fast bowler of his generation.”

 

Proteas coach, Russell Domingo, says the upcoming series against England and Australia will be a good opportunity for the squad to fine-tune their preparation ahead of the tournament.

 

“We take some confidence from our T20 series wins against Bangladesh and India and kept relatively the same players who have had success on the sub-continent,” Domingo said. “We have been playing good T20 cricket of late and this is our opportunity to showcase our skills at a World event. The upcoming T20 series’ against England and Australia will be the ideal platform for us to fine-tune some combinations and to hopefully gain some winning confidence ahead of the tournament next month.

 

“We are in a tough group in the tournament with England, West Indies, Sri Lanka and a qualifier. All of the top six teams on the world rankings have the skill and ability to lift the trophy so it’s a completely open competition with high stakes.” Oxigen Proteas T20 captain, Faf du Plessis, says the squad is motivated and hungry to do well in the competition.

 

“The ICC World T20 is the competition that we have been working towards over the last 18 months,” he said. “We have had disappointments in the past and this year is another great opportunity for us to lift that elusive ICC trophy. We have been playing together as a squad for some time now and are really hungry and motivated to put in the performances to bring us success. I’m really excited about the group of players who will be representing the country and hope we can make everyone proud.”

 

 

Oxigen Proteas T20 squad: Faf du Plessis (The Unlimited Titans, capt), Kyle Abbott (Sunfoil Dolphins), Hashim Amla (Cape Cobras), Farhaan Behardien (The Unlimited Titans), Quinton de Kock (The Unlimited Titans), AB de Villiers (The Unlimited Titans), JP Duminy (Cape Cobras), Imran Tahir (Sunfoil Dolphins), David Miller (Sunfoil Dolphins), Chris Morris (The Unlimited Titans), Aaron Phangiso (bizhub Highveld Lions), Kagiso Rabada (bizhub Highveld Lions), Rilee Rossouw (VKB Knights), Dale Steyn (Cape Cobras), David Wiese (The Unlimited Titans)

Share:

Text Info Strip

Back

DE KOCK, AMLA SET UP PROTEAS WIN

 

Hashim Amla scored his 22nd ODI century and Quinton de Kock his 10th to set the Castle Lager Proteas up for a five-wicket victory over England and keep the series alive in the third Momentum ODI at SuperSport Park on Tuesday.

England still lead the series 2-1 as the two teams head for the fourth ODI at the Bidvest Wanderers Stadium on Friday. Should the Proteas win this match then the two teams will go to a decider in the fifth match at PPC Newlands on Sunday.

England got themselves into a strong position by posting a total of 318/8 in their 50 overs thanks in the main to a ninth ODI century from Joe Root (125 off 113 balls, 10 fours and 5 sixes).

But Amla (127 off 130 balls, 13 fours and 2 sixes) and De Kock (135 off 117 balls, 16 fours and 4 sixes) always had the chase under control with a partnership of 239 in 36.5 overs which was only eight runs short of the South African first-wicket record.

De Kock now has an incredible conversion record of 10 centuries as against 5 half-centuries. Amla has now achieved the performance of going past 50 on at least 50 occasions with 22 centuries and 28 50s. Kyle Abbott had the best figures of the match with 2/50 while Adil Rashid (1/45) had the most economical figures of the game.

Share:

Text Info Strip

Back

RABADA’S SEVEN-WICKETS PUTS PROTEAS AHEAD

Kagiso Rabada added another chapter of achievement to his stellar young career when he claimed his first seven-wicket haul at the highest level to give the Castle Lager Proteas a major advantage after three days of the final Sunfoil Test match at SuperSport Park on Sunday.

His figures of 7/112 followed his first ever five-wicket haul in Test cricket in the previous Test match at the Bidvest Wanderers Stadium where he took 5/78. He has now taken 16 wickets in the series which is just one behind the current leader, Stuart Broad.

His analysis included taking three key wickets in the space of 12 deliveries – and they were big ones in Joe Root, James Taylor and Jonny Bairstow – that broke the back of the England innings as the visitors went from 208/3 to 211/6. Rabada then dismissed the other key middle-order batsman, Ben Stokes, with the second new ball to complete the destruction.

His performance gave the Proteas a first innings lead of 133 runs which had been extended to 175 runs by the close for the loss of Dean Elgar’s wicket. It was the first time in the series that the Proteas had produced a dominant first innings performance both with bat and ball.

The significant factor of this Test match has been the fact that the Proteas have scored three centuries while England’s batting has only managed three half-centuries. Both Alastair Cook and Root made 76 while Moeen Ali rallied the lower-order with his innings of 61.

The only setback for the Proteas on arguably their best day of the series was the loss of Kyle Abbott with a reported hamstring strain. His participation in England’s second innings will be vital as otherwise the Proteas will be down to two seamers and three specialist bowlers in all.

As it was, Rabada had to bowl 29 overs, most of them in fairly long spells.

With two days to go the Proteas will want to pile on the runs on the fourth day and also occupy the crease for a considerable length of time as the more wear and tear there is in the pitch the harder it will be for England to survive in the final innings.

The England bowlers exploited lively bounce at the start of the South African second innings with Hashim Amla taking a nasty blow on his bottom hand that required running repairs.

Share:

Text Info Strip

Back

STEPHEN COOK JOINS PROTEAS TEST SQUAD

Cricket South Africa (CSA) today added Stephen Cook to the Castle Lager Proteas squad for the final Sunfoil Test match against England, starting at SuperSport Park on Friday.

The bizhub Highveld Lions opening batsman currently tops the Sunfoil Series batting averages with 415 runs at an average of 83 including two centuries. If he does gain selection for the final XI he will part of the first ever father and son combination to represent the Proteas in a Test match.

His father, Jimmy, played in three Test matches against India and Sri Lanka between 1992 and 1993.

“Stephen has been in excellent form this season,” commented CSA Selection Convener, Linda Zondi, and gives us another option at the top of the order.”

Castle Lager Proteas Test squad: AB de Villiers (The Unlimited Titans, capt), Kyle Abbott (Sunfoil Dolphins), Hashim Amla (Cape Cobras), Temba Bavuma (bizhub Highveld Lions), Stephen Cook (bizhub Highveld Lions), Quinton de Kock (The Unlimited Titans), JP Duminy (Cape Cobras), Faf du Plessis (the Unlimited Titans), Dean Elgar (The Unlimited Titans), Morne Morkel (The Unlimited Titans), Chris Morris (The Unlimited Titans), Dane Piedt (Cape Cobras), Kagiso Rabada (bizhub Highveld Lions), Rilee Rossouw (VKB Knights), Dale Steyn (Cape Cobras), Stiaan van Zyl (Cape Cobras), Hardus Viljoen (bizhub Highveldl Lions).

Share:

Text Info Strip

Back

AMLA STEPS DOWN

Castle Lager Proteas Test Captain, Hashim Amla, today announced that he will be stepping down from leading the Proteas with immediate effect.

Since his appointment as successor to Graeme Smith in June 2014, Amla captained the Proteas in 14 tests winning 4, drawing 6 and losing 4.

Amla, who had decided to step down before the drawn second Sunfoil Test against England at PPC Newlands, in his true style informed his team mates immediately after the match ended.

“Naturally this decision is not an easy one but the more I think about it the more I believe I can be of greater value to the Proteas as a fully focused batsman and senior player at this time of rebuilding our team” said Amla.

“I am deeply grateful and privileged to have been the Test captain and I wish to thank CSA for the honour of captaining my country. It was enjoyable and indeed a great learning experience.”

Vice-Captain, AB de Villiers has agreed to take over the captaincy for the remainder of the series.

“We respect Hashim’s decision and the manner in which he thought about it and then communicated with me. It was consistent with his well respected personality,” said Cricket SA Chief Executive, Haroon Lorgat.

“He still has a huge role to play in shaping the success of our team without the need for a leadership title. He is just that type of a person and we are very fortunate to have him in our stable.

“I want to thank AB for readily accepting the challenge of rebuilding our Test team as we seek to remain the best team in the world,” added Lorgat.

De Villiers is looking forward to the challenge.

“I’ve said this before that it is an incredible honour to captain South Africa in any format. The captaincy has obviously come at short notice and is the realisation of a lifelong dream,” said De Villiers.

“At the moment my priority and focus is placed on leading this team to what can be a memorable series win against England. This Test squad is motivated and determined to turn our performances around and I’m looking forward to taking up that challenge as captain. Hashim is a good friend and close colleague and I am grateful for his support.”

Amla also paid tribute to his fellow players and management team.

“Throughout my time as captain, whether in good times or tough times, I’ve always had the full support of my team mates, coaching staff and management. I want to acknowledge this superb group of people for always being there and for supporting me wholeheartedly,” Amla concluded.

Share:

Text Info Strip

Back

PROTEAS STAY AT NUMBER 1

India has moved into second place in the ICC Test Championship table after winning the four-Test series against South Africa by 3-0.

The series result has helped Virat Kohli’s side gain 10 points, which has lifted it from 100 points to 110 points and ahead of Australia and Pakistan, which have slipped one place each to third and fourth, respectively.

Hashim Amla’s side has retained its number-one Test ranking but its lead at the top has been slashed from 16 points to just four points.

India has no more Test matches before the annual 1 April cut-off date, but third-ranked Australia will host eighth-ranked West Indies in a three-Test series from 10 December, sixth-ranked New Zealand will go head to head with seventh-ranked Sri Lanka also from 10 December, while fifth-ranked England will travel to South Africa for a four-Test series which will start in Durban on 26 December.

To finish as the number-one ranked Test side at the annual cut-off date, South Africa will have to, at least, draw the series with England. Its failure to do so, will result in it falling from the top pedestal and handing the number-one position to Australia (provided it wins the series against the West Indies by 3-0).

Share:

Text Info Strip

Back

EVERY TEST IS IMPORTANT

Castle Lager Proteas assistant coach, Adrian Birrell, says the squad is driven and determined to turn around their performances in the fourth Freedom Series Test match against India starting at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in Delhi on Thursday. Birrell insists no extra motivation is needed to inspire the players after a deflating series loss, and that the pride and honour that comes with each Test match opportunity is enough to pump the adrenalin.

“Every Test is very important to every single player,” Birrell said in Delhi on Tuesday. “We’re representing our country and it’s another Test. Although the series is gone we’re looking to play good cricket. We haven’t played good cricket yet and we have one last opportunity to turn that around. Every single player is determined to put a good performance forward in this Test match.”

The batsmen will need to express the same fight and application shown by Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis during their 72- run partnership which lasted nearly 50 overs in Nagpur, if they are to give themselves a chance of competing against India’s spinners.  The coaches have been proactive in their preparation this tour and have tried to simulate the Indian conditions along with the off-spin, left-arm and leg-spin variations that make up India’s spin attack.

“They could have folded quite easily against a total that was really beyond us, but they showed good fight,” Birrell said. “Hopefully we can see that in the next Test, show that we’re here to fight. I liked Hashim’s words – win or lose, do it honourably. That was the case in the last Test and hopefully we’ll do that again in this Test.

“We are trying to recreate the rough in nets, taking a stump and putting it behind the footmarks, to try and replicate the match situation,” he explained.  “We have Claude Henderson, who used to bowl left-arm spin, now he throws left-arm spin, which he is very accomplished at. I used to bowl leg-spin, so I bowl from a shortened run to try and simulate Mishra, I’m not even close, but we are trying. And then we have a bunch of guys who try to deliver balls like Ashwin, so we try to make it as similar to the match.”

Dale Steyn’s availability for the match remains in doubt, with the medical team opting to make a call on Wednesday.

“He’s still nursing a bit of a groin injury,” Birrell said. “ With a fast bowler, a groin injury takes a little time to get right. We need him 100% fit before we play him in a Test match. He’ll undergo another fitness Test tomorrow so we can make sure he is 100% fit before making the decision on whether he will play on Thursday.”

Share:

Text Info Strip

Back

Amla moves into 2nd position in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings

South Africa’s quartet of Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis, JP Duminy and Dean Elgar, as well as David Warner, Chris Rogers and Nathan Lyon of Australia are the biggest movers in the latest Reliance ICC Player Rankings released on Monday morning, following the conclusion of the Port Elizabeth Test, which the home side won by 231 runs to level the three-Test series one-all.

Amla, who followed up his second-ball zero with his 21st career century, has moved up two places to join Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara in second place in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test Batsman, with team-mate AB de Villiers still leading the field by a distance.

Australia opener David Warner, who scored two half-centuries, is the other batsman inside the top 20 to head in the right direction. The left-hander has gained two places in the latest rankings and is now in 10th position.

Rogers has returned to the top 20 as his second innings contribution of 107 has given him a lift of six places to 16th position. After Michael Clarke (ninth), Warner and Steven Smith (17th), Rogers is the fourth Australia batsman to occupy a place in the top 20.

South Africa’s du Plessis is the next biggest mover in the batting chart as he has leaped seven places to 29th following his scores of 55 and 24. He is followed by Duminy whose 123 in the first innings has put him in 45th (up by 20 places). Elgar’s 83 and 16 has lifted him 36 places to 77th spot.

In the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test Bowlers, Australia’s Mitchell Johnson has moved up one place to third while off-spinner Nathan Lyon has gained two places following his match figures of six for 178 to move into 17th position.

Meanwhile, Australia needs a draw in the Cape Town Test to be assured of second place in the Reliance ICC Test Team Championship at the 1 April cut-off date, which, in turn, will earn it US$370,000. If South Africa wins the Test, then Australia will finish third and earn US$265,000 while India will leapfrog into second place to claim  US$370,000.

South Africa, thanks to its commanding lead at the top of the Reliance ICC Test Rankings, has already retained the mace and will also collect a cheque of US$475,000 at an event to be held in due course. England, which will finish fourth at the 1 April cut-off date, will receive US$160,000.

At the January 2012 meeting, the ICC Board had approved a proposal to substantially increase incentives in the form of prize money to promote Test cricket.

In 2015, the total prize money will be increased to US$1.34 million, which will be distributed to the teams that finish in the top four at the 1 April 2015 cut-off date. The number-one ranked side will receive US$500,000, followed by US$390, 000, US$280,000 and US$170,000 to the sides that will finish second, third and fourth, respectively.

 

Share:

Text Info Strip

Back

Amla drives South Africa after shaky start

On a track that is expected to be full of runs, and against arguably the mightiest batting line-up in the world, it was imperative that Pakistan’s bowlers made early breakthroughs. They did, three times in the morning session, but with the track easing out Hashim Amla added to the mountains of runs he has scored in recent years with an unbeaten half-century. Keeping him company at tea was JP Duminy, who made a brisk 36 in his first Test innings in over a year.

The new ball didn’t hoop around dramatically for the left-arm quicks but the returning Mohammad Irfan troubled the batsmen early on. Allied with a persistent offstump line, he got his typical extra bounce which led to a wicket in the third over itself as Alviro Petersen fell to a juggling catch at short leg.

Graeme Smith has had a long absence from top-flight cricket and it showed in his first international innings back. He was left searching for the ball outside off several times, there were a couple of streaky edged boundaries behind the wicket, after the second of which he nicked one through to the keeper.

It required the DRS for him to be given out, and luckily for Pakistan this was one of the most clear-cut decisions for a Hot Spot-less review system – there was a loud sound as the ball passed bat, and the bat was well away from the body. How well this review system will hold up for more complicated bat-pad chances, which are likely to crop up for the spinners as the match progresses, remains to be seen.

Another man returning from time away from cricket, Jacques Kallis, didn’t look as rusty as Smith, but he too didn’t make too many runs, inside-edging an incutter from Junaid to the keeper for 5. It wasn’t the biggest of crowds that showed up in Abu Dhabi, but they certainly found their voice when South Africa were dithering at 43 for 3.

Few sights are as reassuring for South Africa fans as seeing Amla in the middle. Amla also had his early problems, but then settled in, unfurling a cover drive which was the only intentional boundary of the first hour. He had a close run-out chance but otherwise he was getting ominously comfortable, rounding off the session with another of his eye-catching off drives for four.

With AB de Villiers also looking in good touch, Pakistan’s attack didn’t pose much of a threat after lunch. Amla and de Villiers were cruising in the second session when a dozy moment from de Villiers resulted in him losing his wicket. He looked to defend off the front foot and after an lbw appeal, he held the pose for the umpire. The ball rolled over towards slip, and the keeper Adnan Akmal signalled to Younis Khan to return the ball to the stumps. Adnan took the bails off and after many replays it was determined that de Villiers’ backfoot was just outside the crease.

Either side of that dismissal, South Africa were barely troubled and Pakistan would perhaps be reminded of what happened on the first day the previous time these two sides met in a Test in Abu Dhabi.

Share: