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Are we seeing the decline of the phenomenon called Hashim Amla?

Was lucky because of the dropped catch in the first match and a cheap dismissal vs Afghanistan today. If this was a bilateral, he would have scored his customary half-century.

Looks like his usual choke mode is on, but still plenty of time for him to deliver.
 
Biggest choker in history of Limited Overs cricket.

Cricket had its fair share of chokers, but no one has been at his level of bottling.

Has failed in all 7 ICC tournaments that he has played in the last 7 years, coincidence? Of course not.

He has been a very prolific scorer apart from the ICC tournaments and has always failed to deliver on the big occasion.

Time for his fans to accept that he simply cannot handle pressure.

They will say that he got run out, but then they will ignore that he was dropped on vs England.

Even if de Kock wouldn't have sold him a dummy, he would still have found a way to get out cheaply as he always does in ICC tournaments.
 
I saw his run out yesterday , He was unlucky as his partner ran him out but thats the first time I saw him react angrily ,even Shoaib akhtar mentioned this. Maybe frustration creeping in.
 
Another failure of a series for Amla.

He hasn't done anything in 2017 apart from two dead rubber hundreds against Sri Lanka.

Hope he can garner some meaningful test runs in NZ. I don't think he has a test hundred in NZ, so its a great incentive.
 
And Amla's decline continues. He has scored 1013 runs in his last 31 matches at an average of 33.76. That's 17 less than his career average. For comparison Kohli (who was Amla's closes competitor before 2015) has scored 1534 runs in his last 31 ODIs at an average of 59.
 
i expect Amla to be around for another 2 years at most. He has to be there in Tests to help guide an inexperienced batting line up now that De Villiers has chickened out of Test Cricket. He clearly isnt the same force as old.
 
"It's better to retire when your fans ask you why? instead of waiting for the day when your fans will be asking you when?" -- Fanie De Villiers on the day he announced his retirement

Maybe its time for Amla to retire
 
Fans need to cut players some slack. You can't have a player perform every match. He's still going pretty well but he's just set the bar too high and he isn't going as well by his OWN standards. Otherwise, he doesn't look anywhere near the decline to me. Will go on for another half a decade at the very least.
 
ExpressPacer said:
Fans need to cut players some slack. You can't have a player perform every match. He's still going pretty well but he's just set the bar too high and he isn't going as well by his OWN standards. Otherwise, he doesn't look anywhere near the decline to me. Will go on for another half a decade at the very least.
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Averaging in the low thirties over 30 matches isn't a decline? I already posted stats above
 
Joseph Gomes said:
Averaging in the low thirties over 30 matches isn't a decline? I already posted stats above
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An average of 33 in 30 odd matches isn't too shabby. A player of his standard is bound to have a bad phase once in a while. The best of players have bad patches. Take Punter for example. I expect him to bounce back stronger.

It would be a joke if CSA replaced him but I'm sure they wont. They know his importance to the team.
 
I hope he can bounce back from this, he needs to go back to the basics, he still has one of the finest techniques going around.
 
ExpressPacer said:
An average of 33 in 30 odd matches isn't too shabby. A player of his standard is bound to have a bad phase once in a while. The best of players have bad patches. Take Punter for example. I expect him to bounce back stronger.

It would be a joke if CSA replaced him but I'm sure they wont. They know his importance to the team.
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I would understand bad phase if it wasn't for his age. Amla is almost 34 and unlike Sangakkara or Chanderpaul his stats aren't getting better with age. This is also the same age bracket when Sehwag's form fell off and never recovered
 
Joseph Gomes said:
I would understand bad phase if it wasn't for his age. Amla is almost 34 and unlike Sangakkara or Chanderpaul his stats aren't getting better with age. This is also the same age bracket when Sehwag's form fell off and never recovered
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Of course. I'd be lying if I didn't think similarly until just recently but that knock of 154 last month made me think otherwise.
 
Amla has always been a run machine for South Africa across all the formats.However, since 2015 WC, he has just been a shadow of himself.

IMO, he should retire from limited overs format after Champions Trophy and concentrate completely on tests. Its important for 32+ guys to be a bit choosy in picking the games as its very hard to keep playing all three forms of cricket.

Amla should give his full concentration to tests and just leave out the 50 overs format after having a final shot at CT in England this year.
 
As said, he is just the shadow of himself post 2015 WC.

However, between 2010-14, he was the best test batsmen in the world alongside Sangakkara. It is to be seen if he can reach to 10K runs in longer format or not.
 
SLcric123 said:
Bump! Looks like he is done. Was in all sorts of trouble in this test.
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Everyone looked troubled.

AB was counter attacking and hitting the ball in the air in an effort to score runs quickly. Same with every batsman out there.

Cannot write Amla out so quickly. If he fails in batting friendly conditions repeatedly, then we can say he is done.
 
He is now at the stage of his career where he will only produce one big knock per series. Every great batsman goes through this phase before they are done and dusted.

Currently both Amla and Cook fall into this category. Their prolific years are behind them now.
 
Sure he'll have 1 big knock in this series but Amla is coming to the end of his career. A brilliant test batsmen.
 
Another mediocre start to the year for Amla averaging 35 in tests and 25 in ODIs against India.

A 4 match test series against Australia is just weeks away. Can Amla bounce back ?
 
Dead Ball said:
Another mediocre start to the year for Amla averaging 35 in tests and 25 in ODIs against India.

A 4 match test series against Australia is just weeks away. Can Amla bounce back ?
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Cummins Hazzlewood and Starc are different beast altogether to Indian fast bowlers. He should announce strategic retirement. Like he did with captainship.
 
Amla proving how Desi he is. Shamelessly extending a career that should have ended long ago.
 
Just goes to show most people adore you till the time you're doing well but come back to smack you in the the stomach when you're down. Shame on all these fake fans. Hashim Amla is a great guy and still an asset for the Africans. One bad knock doesn't make him a loser.He never was.
 
I disagree with the notion that he was ever tier one level or even tier two
 
Slog said:
I disagree with the notion that he was ever tier one level or even tier two
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Had he been able to extend that purple patch for another 2-3 years, he would have been ATG. I genuinely believed he was ATG or will end up being one, but his performance over last 2 years means that he will fall short.
 
He is done and dusted. These days he can only score against weak attacks on flat wickets.

Cannot handle spin, swing, seam or hostile bowling on flat wickets. I expect him to retire after the 2019 World Cup.
 
This has been very sad to see. As a fan of Hashim Amla, this is heartbreaking seeing such a dominant batsman decline like this.
 
He has been a passenger for the last 2 years but so has been the entire SA batting line up except AB.
 
https://www.sport24.co.za/Cricket/Proteas/rising-threat-to-mighty-hashs-vip-status-20190205

Rising threat to mighty Hash's 'VIP' status


Cape Town - Miss out on the World Cup entirely? A massively unlikely event, I still fancy.

The abundant experience of Hashim Amla, just for starters, should ensure that he stays close to front of mind in the selectors’ plans both for the last bilateral series ahead of UK-staged CWC 2019 - five ODIs against Sri Lanka on our soil from early March - and then the major global event itself from late May.

South Africa instantly sacrificed a similar slab of street wisdom only a few months back when AB de Villiers retired (time is getting tight now for that miracle comeback understandably so desired by many, isn't it?), and Amla’s 174-cap, outstanding pedigree in the format remains a vital balancer in so many respects.

He has graced two prior World Cups, scoring 639 runs between them in 15 knocks at an average of almost 43, and his "been there, done that" sort of status is important when you consider that the 15-strong Proteas squad for England is likely to feature several first-timers at the tournament.

Amla’s opening partnership with ever-brazen Quinton de Kock - they are a fine foil for each other, and not only because of the right-left aspect - is among the most productive ever in ODIs, into the bargain.

So it may require a truly abject slump against the currently modest Sri Lankans for Amla, who turns 36 at the end of March, to fail to earn a ticket at all to this World Cup.

But there is a swelling threat, I believe it is fair to say, to his wonderfully long-time status as a staple pick in key matches.

The passage of time can be cruel to older cricketers, and Amla has been on a fairly enduring downward curve for success rate with the bat across the formats - though admittedly from some rare, sublime statistical highs - and, no less worryingly, as a fielder.

He has never been a whippet in the field and that is hardly going to improve at his advanced age, but he has also been guilty of spilling some (usually close-to-the-wicket) catches recently during Pakistan’s multi-format visit.

Amla’s relative lack of mobility is something that must at least be touched on by the brains trust from time to time, especially as the Proteas' frontline white-ball spinner, Imran Tahir, will be an especially advanced 40 by the time the World Cup begins (though the effervescent character does everything possible to disguise the drawback in the field) and there are a few other well-established thirtysomethings in SA's current arsenal.

Overwhelmingly Amla's major trade, of course, remains his top-order batting, and the once near-unfailing, highly composed player at least stabilised his form during the five-match ODI series against Pakistan, won 3-2 by the hosts.

That is reflected in his statistical return of 214 runs at 53.50 from five innings, although around half those runs came through a century in Port Elizabeth (defeat for SA, in game one) that earned some condemnation from pundits, rightly or wrongly, for its relatively conservative and even pacing.

There is also little luxury for him to bask in the good weight of those figures due to two, almost concurrent hallmarks in the last two or three weeks: the rise and rise of younger, seemingly cool-headed, ambitious and similarly top-three-terrain stroke-players Reeza Hendricks and Rassie van der Dussen.

Just based on their body language, sense of authority and returns at the crease in white-ball internationals (either ODI or Twenty20) of late, both of Hendricks (29) and Van der Dussen (30 on Thursday) are gluing themselves ever more firmly into the World Cup squad picture.

That duo presently seem no less likely than the veteran Amla to cash in, just ahead of CWC 2019, on what may well be a weary, slightly shell-shocked Sri Lankan bowling line-up on our shores considering the woes of some of them in a just-completed Test series roasting in Australia.

All going to plan, I would suggest this remains the likeliest Proteas top six to begin the World Cup with: Amla, De Kock, Hendricks, Du Plessis, Miller, Duminy.

But there is also a mounting chance it could instead, by then, be something like the following: Hendricks, De Kock, Van der Dussen, Du Plessis, Miller, Duminy.

No doubt the proud, grand master who is HM Amla is pretty resistant to the latter scenario (and could also spiritedly remind, if he wished to, of his credentials in English conditions, which can fluctuate greatly from one day or week to the next).

But he may know, nevertheless, he’ll have to keep a suitably firm personal foot on the gas from here to sidestep its coming to fruition, and a bib becoming more consistently pinned to his chest than he is accustomed to at the World Cup.
 
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Amla dropped from ODIs against SL (so he isn't a part of SA's world cup plans either) . And honestly I don't see him playing in the test series in India later this year either.

I believe we have seen the last of him in SA colors...
 
It’s been a long and painful one for him and Southern Afrikaan
 
Looks like he's hitting some form...although it's too late now in the WC..

I hope he scores big and retires with some dignity and doesn't continue after the world Cup...
 
He needs to be moved on after the WC, even Saeed Anwar had two good knocks in his final two ODI's but everyone knew he was done at that stage and needed to be moved on.
 
It is amazing how he responds (or fails to) pressure situations, but once the weight of expectations are over, he can still be prolific.

A decent player who could have been a great one if he didn’t have the spine of a jelly.
 
A mentally weak player. Great talent but didn’t have the mentality to handle pressure. A shame because he is a joy to watch in full flow, but he never did any justification to his talent.
 
First Law of Choking says: "Choking only happens when bodies are under pressure" ;-)


Amla plays well when there is no pressure...
 
There have not been many "pressure players" in SA that I remember. Can anyone name one?

Amla is just another in a long line of those.
 
All international runs come under pressure. Opposition dont start bowling easier, especially when the other team were playing for must win. Amla scored great number of runs in all formats , atleast half of the games he scored must have been important games.
 
Mamoon said:
It is amazing how he responds (or fails to) pressure situations, but once the weight of expectations are over, he can still be prolific.

A decent player who could have been a great one if he didn’t have the spine of a jelly.
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I cannot await for [MENTION=129948]Bilal7[/MENTION] to tell us how much of an ATG he is in ODIs :))
 
You just knew he would score today as the pressure off. South Africa need to move on from this JP,Amla ,Steyn, Faf, etc error. They have continually failed when it matters . They probably have a little fear going into ICC events. Time for some new blood.
 
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Amla should be gone from ODI format. He is past his prime.

He is still needed in Test though.
 
Hasan123 said:
You just knew he would score today as the pressure off. South Africa need to move on from this JP,Amla ,Steyn, Faf, etc error. They have continually failed when it matters . They probably have a little fear going into ICC events. Time for some new blood.
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There is no pipeline. Their next best hope Markram isn't as good as hoped. Their current hope Van der Dussen is already 30
 
Time for Amla to retire from all formats. He does not have much to contribute to the game of cricket neither is he a proactive leader who could inspire his teammate or make a difference on-field with his presence.
 
Corridor of Uncertainty said:
There have not been many "pressure players" in SA that I remember. Can anyone name one?

Amla is just another in a long line of those.
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ABD for sure. Bhuvi had SA on the ropes in the first Test of the last India series. The counter attack by ABD decided the series in SA's favor, enabling them to keep a clean sheet against visiting Asian countries.

I assume you were referring to all forms of cricket.
 
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Napa said:
ABD for sure. Bhuvi had SA on the ropes in the first Test of the last India series. The counter attack by ABD decided the series in SA's favor, enabling them to keep a clean sheet against visiting Asian countries.

I assume you were referring to all forms of cricket.
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Amla as well. He bailed out his team numerous times in tests. As poor as he is in ODIs under pressure, people should acknowledge how good a player he was he was in test matches.
 
Napa said:
ABD for sure. Bhuvi had SA on the ropes in the first Test of the last India series. The counter attack by ABD decided the series in SA's favor, enabling them to keep a clean sheet against visiting Asian countries.

I assume you were referring to all forms of cricket.
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de Villiers should have taken responsibility at number 3. Quite often, he would only limit himself to 20-25 overs per innings which was criminal for a player of his gifts. That strategy never worked and it backfired quite badly in the 2015 World Cup SF.
 
[MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] has been right throughout. I have never seen a poster on PP who has been so accurate in his predictions about different players over the years. Other posters ridicule him after they hype a player and he has few good matches but [MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] always wins at the end.

PP GOAT.
 
big_gamer007 said:
[MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] has been right throughout. I have never seen a poster on PP who has been so accurate in his predictions about different players over the years. Other posters ridicule him after they hype a player and he has few good matches but [MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] always wins at the end.

PP GOAT.
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Trust, me I am wrong more times than I am right. As far as Amla is concerned, most people knew from the get to that he wasn't in the league as players like Kohli and de Villiers. He was overhyped on PP because of non-cricket reasons, but he rarely made the headlines in general apart from getting some useless record of fastest to X number of runs.

Forget Kohli, he didn't even have the same reputation and aura as the likes of Smith, Williamson and Root. Amla was similar to the likes of Yousuf and Mahela. Just a decent batsman who never looked like becoming a legend.
 
Performance wise certainly above Yusuf and Mahela type bats. You have to be something special to score so many runs in both formats, and so many runs so quickly in ODIs. That too in a batting line up with not many special batsmen to help you out
 
rhony said:
There is no pipeline. Their next best hope Markram isn't as good as hoped. Their current hope Van der Dussen is already 30
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Malan is a decent talent. This is South Africa. One of the great cricketing nations. They will be back. I have no doubt about that.
 
PakPremi said:
Performance wise certainly above Yusuf and Mahela type bats. You have to be something special to score so many runs in both formats, and so many runs so quickly in ODIs. That too in a batting line up with not many special batsmen to help you out
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Mahela averaged almost 50 at a SR of 90 as opener, but he mostly batted at 4/5 because of Sri Lanka’s weak middle-order. He has also played incredibly clutch knocks in World Cup finals and semifinals that Amla cannot even dream of.

Pakistan missed a trick by not opening with MoYo in the 2000’s and wasting time with the likes of Farhat, Hameed, Nazir etc. He would have been an ideal opener.

Amla wouldn’t have averaged more than 35 in the middle-order. He is a one-dimensional batsman who cannot adjust to different situations and scenarios in ODIs. He has maintained a good SR in ODIs because he is a touch player who exploits the gaps in PP overs, but whenever South Africa need to switch gears, he is useless.

A decent player who is not half the ODI batsman his stats suggest.
 
Napa said:
ABD for sure. Bhuvi had SA on the ropes in the first Test of the last India series. The counter attack by ABD decided the series in SA's favor, enabling them to keep a clean sheet against visiting Asian countries.

I assume you were referring to all forms of cricket.
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I am OK with all forms :)

And I count ABD is the epitome of a player who buckles under pressure. Name how many clutch world cup innings he has played to see his team home? How many IPL semis? Finals? How many series deciding test matches he performed in difficult away countries, such as India?

I agree with you on his contribution in that particular 'home' India series. But I'll count as a one off. Even then all pressure was off him as he was in the team on his own terms and ready to leave at the drop of a hat.
 
Hashim Amla batted through the final day to make 37 not out off 278 balls to secure Surrey a draw against Hampshire.

The South Africa batsman survived being dropped at short fine leg on 30 off Keith Barker as he showed incredible powers of concentration and patience.
 
Last Monetarist said:
Hashim Amla batted through the final day to make 37 not out off 278 balls to secure Surrey a draw against Hampshire.

The South Africa batsman survived being dropped at short fine leg on 30 off Keith Barker as he showed incredible powers of concentration and patience.
Click to expand...

Some innings that, full of grit and determination at the ripe old age of 38.
 
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