Rewarding times for Hashim Amla

The New Zealand-South Africa ODI series was a blink-and-you'll-miss-it affair - three ODIs, of which one was ruined by the weather - but even in this short series Hashim Amla stamped his class. In the second game, in Mount Maunganui, his 119 set South Africa up for a comfortable 72-run win. It was his 16th ODI hundred in only his 94th innings, and his fifth in 16 innings over the last 11 months: since December 2013, Amla has scored 914 runs at an average of 60.93 and a strike rate of 80.88. Even by his usually prolific standards, these are outstanding numbers, and a fine return to form after a patchy previous 11 months: between January and November 2013, he scored only one hundred in 19 ODI innings, and averaged 34.73.

For a player who was seen as a long-format specialist when he first came into international cricket, Amla has done remarkably well in one-day cricket. Batting at the top of the order has suited him perfectly, allowing him to build innings and play for longer periods. He has also justified that move to push him up the order, converting his starts and getting centuries more regularly than any other player who has at least 15 hundreds in this format: in fact, Amla is the only one who averages less than six innings per ODI century. His 16 hundreds have come in 95 innings, an average of one every 5.94, which is even more prolific than Virat Kohli, who averages one every 6.65 innings.

Batting at the top of the order gives Amla the luxury of knowing he has plenty of overs in hand, but it also considerably reduces the chances of him being not-out. In 95 innings, he has remained unbeaten only seven times, and yet he averages more than 54, which means his runs-per-innings value (runs scored divided by all innings, including not-outs) is incredibly high. At 50.42, Amla's RPI is 14% better than the next highest, among batsmen who have scored at least 2000 ODI runs. Kohli is second again in this list, with an RPI of 44.20.

In terms of batting averages, the two who follow Amla's 54.43 are very close to that number: Michael Bevan scored 6912 runs at 53.58, while MS Dhoni has 8192 runs at an average of 52.85. However, both have batted mostly in the middle order or lower middle order, which means there are plenty of not-outs in their overall stats. Bevan had 67 not-outs in 196 innings, which helped boost his average significantly; his RPI is 35.27. Similarly, Dhoni has 64 not-outs in 219 innings; his RPI is only slightly better, at 37.41. AB de Villiers averages 51.02, but because of 29 not-outs, his RPI is nine runs lower than his average. While there are 13 batsmen with RPIs between 37 and 44.20, Amla stands alone at 50.42, well clear of the rest.

Amla's class is unmistakable, and what makes him such a huge asset for South Africa is his ability to play - and score quickly - in all sorts of conditions, against all types of bowling. He averages more than 50 in every continent: 51.80 in Africa, 52.50 in Asia, 54.40 in Australia and New Zealand, 56.50 in Europe, and 80.40 in the West Indies. (Click here for his career summary.)

His stats against different types of bowlers are similarly consistent. He averages 52.68 against right-arm pace and medium pace, and 72.10 against the left-arm variety. Versus the slower bowlers, the average exceeds 65 when facing right-arm and left-arm spin. He plays out more dot balls against pace, but that's to be expected as he often plays them at the start of an innings, when fielding restrictions are in place. He makes up for the dot balls by scoring a higher percentage of his runs in boundaries. Against spin, the boundary percentage is lower, but his ability to work the ball around fetches him runs at a good pace. The bowler who has dismissed him most often in ODIs is Pakistan left-armer Mohammad Irfan, who has troubled him with his bounce and pace: he has got Amla out five times in 94 balls, conceding 69 runs (average 13.80). However, Amla has a good record against Junaid Khan (74 runs in 99 balls, once out), and Zaheer Khan (83 runs in 84 balls, once out). Apart from Irfan, no bowler has dismissed him more than three times in ODIs.

Among all these stats that show his consistency, the one aspect Amla will want to improve is his ODI record against Australia: in 12 innings against them, he averages 34, with four fifties but no hundreds.

Amla's ability to consistently make big scores at the top of the order means he also consistently wins Man-of-the-Match awards. He won his 15th for his 119 against New Zealand, and the fact that he has won so many in only 98 games makes him one of the most prolific award winners in the format - his rate of winning one every 6.53 matches is third among the 73 players who have won 12 or more Man-of-the-Match awards in ODI history. The only ones who have been more prolific are Viv Richards (6.03 matches per award) and Gordon Greenidge (6.40). Among current players, Virat Kohli is again the one who is closest to Amla, with a rate of 7.42 matches per award, which is marginally ahead of Sachin Tendulkar's rate of 7.47.

Among South Africans, the next best is Lance Klusener, with a rate of nine matches per award, while AB de Villiers has a rate of 9.22 and Jacques Kallis 10.09. These numbers indicate what a special performer Amla has been even in a format that wasn't supposed to be his forte. His form at the top of the order could be a huge factor in determining how far South Africa go in the World Cup next year.