Amla brings about a sense of calm
Jonty Rhodes, in his blog for standardbankcricket.com , is impressed by the early signs from David Miller, and full of praise for the way Hashim Amla has evolved in the South Africa set-up
Nitin Sundar
25-Feb-2013
Jonty Rhodes, in his blog for standardbankcricket.com, is impressed by the early signs from David Miller, and full of praise for the way Hashim Amla has evolved in the South Africa set-up. He is however sceptical of Roelof van der Merwe's credentials as the second spinner.
Young David Miller certainly looks the part of an international cricketer just two games into his career and South Africa still have one of the most potent bowling attacks in the world. Kallis and De Villiers would be the envy of most major nations in the middle order and Graeme Smith remains a formidable leader despite the nagging and often unmerited criticism from his detractors.
But the most remarkable success story in recent months, as far as I’m concerned, is Hashim Amla. Despite his undoubted talent, most fans still had their hearts in their mouths when he came to the crease for fear that his unusual technique would lead to an early demise.
Now, he brings to the crease a sense of certainty and reliability that makes all of us feel confident of a good start. I can’t easily recall an opening partnership before Smith and Amla that inspired as much confidence as those to when they walk out together.
Nitin Sundar is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo