Will Hashim Amla end his Test career with an average of 50 or above?

[Hitman]

After his innings today, he has a batting average of 48.50

Will he be able to end his career with an average of 50 or more in Tests?

 

[Dead Ball]

Yes, he plays 3 tests against Lanka this year.

 

[barah_admi]

Who cares? This is another example of when stats dont matter. Yes 50 is regarded as the benchmark for a great batsman, but like KP before him, Amla has played so many sparkling, match winning knocks, across so many different conditions and formats, that he is already a great player. A living great. We are at the setting of his career, he will end it as a legend regardless of what happens.

 

[volcyz]

Hes batting like Michael Clarke at the end of his career

 

[Dead Ball]

Who cares? This is another example of when stats dont matter. Yes 50 is regarded as the benchmark for a great batsman, but like KP before him, Amla has played so many sparkling, match winning knocks, across so many different conditions and formats, that he is already a great player. A living great. We are at the setting of his career, he will end it as a legend regardless of what happens.

The reason why KP is rated as an English great and not an undisputed ATG of the game is because he was inconsistent and didn't average 50+.

I think Amla will get his average back to 50+, but will need some help from Bang, WI and SL.

 

[Hitman]

The reason why KP is rated as an English great and not an undisputed ATG of the game is because he was inconsistent and didn't average 50+.

I think Amla will get his average back to 50+, but will need some help from Bang, WI and SL.

Will have to agree with you.

 

[Oligochaetes]

Amla has played most of his matches in tought home conditions so we can ignore his comparatively lower average. If he were playing in India at home, he would have a much higher overall average.

 

[Bilal7]

Probably not, given that Pakistan are touring later this year. It's the nature of cricket in South Africa, very tough for a top order batsman to score lots of runs consistently when you have seam, swing, pace, bounce, reverse and spin all available in the same match.

His away average, excluding minnows like Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and West Indies, is 52+.

 

[Bilal7]

Amla has played most of his matches in tought home conditions so we can ignore his comparatively lower average. If he were playing in India at home, he would have a much higher overall average.

Not just India but any of Australia, Pak/UAE and even England.

 

[barah_admi]

The reason why KP is rated as an English great and not an undisputed ATG of the game is because he was inconsistent and didn't average 50+.

I think Amla will get his average back to 50+, but will need some help from Bang, WI and SL.

Who says he isnt an undisputed atg?

 

[Slog]

Who cares? This is another example of when stats dont matter. Yes 50 is regarded as the benchmark for a great batsman, but like KP before him, Amla has played so many sparkling, match winning knocks, across so many different conditions and formats, that he is already a great player. A living great. We are at the setting of his career, he will end it as a legend regardless of what happens.

KP not smashing the 50+ average mark is precisely why he is considered a rung below the top, top batsmen

 

[Hitman]

Then again, an average of 48.50 for him currently is not below average considering his talent and ability.

 

[WhenSultansBowled]

It will be hard for him to reach 50+ average.

That said, the man is a batting genius!

 

[barah_admi]

KP not smashing the 50+ average mark is precisely why he is considered a rung below the top, top batsmen

The discussion is who is great. KP is a great batsman according to just about everyone in the sport and most fans who know cricket. Whether or not he is up at the Ponting, Tendulkar etc standard is a different discussion.

 

[Ab Fan]

Clearly no. Even AB de Villiers will retire with a <50 avg I think. These guys are still great test batsmen.

 

[Ab Fan]

The discussion is who is great. KP is a great batsman according to just about everyone in the sport and most fans who know cricket. Whether or not he is up at the Ponting, Tendulkar etc standard is a different discussion.

KP is a great not ATG batsmen. So are Amla, de Villiers, Cook and Clarke.

AB's ATG status can be debatable though. His terrific odi career adds to his test legacy.

Ofcourse, none are at Ponting and Tendulkar level.

 

[The_Odd_One]

I will gladly take a 48 averaging Amla over a lot of 50+ averaging batsmen in tests.

 

[Joseph Gomes]

Not sure if Amla is an ATG, but he's certainly better than many 50+ batsmen. Lots of batsmen inflate their stats by bashing minnows or scoring heavily at home

 

[BreadPakoda]

We can take exception for him. He doesn’t need an average of 50 to prove anything. In fact if he keeps on playing like he has been for a few more years and ends up averaging under 45 he’s still ATG as he is class-apart, a magician, an artist, a musician, a poet and so on.

 

[Hitman]

We can take exception for him. He doesn’t need an average of 50 to prove anything. In fact if he keeps on playing like he has been for a few more years and ends up averaging under 45 he’s still ATG as he is class-apart, a magician, an artist, a musician, a poet and so on.

Sarcasm noted. Made me laugh.

 

[soso_killer]

The reason why KP is rated as an English great and not an undisputed ATG of the game is because he was inconsistent and didn't average 50+.

I think Amla will get his average back to 50+, but will need some help from Bang, WI and SL .

Lol this, he needs to do a Sangakkara and boost his average by 6 points.
He has scored enough tough runs in his blistering career.
Even that is not guaranteed though, Amla as we know is gone. But CSA still needs him.

 

[Adijazz1706]

Averages in SA have been lower than most other place the last decade IIRC, even G Smith avgs < 35 there against non minnows.

 

[Ab Fan]

Averages in SA have been lower than most other place the last decade IIRC, even G Smith avgs < 35 there against non minnows.

We can also understand this point by looking at averages of SA bowlers in comparison to others.:-

Philander 21(GOAT average but he is not some GOAT bowler )
Rabada 21( GOAT average)
Morkel 28(if he played in some other country, he would have been averaging over 30).

Just like their fast bowlers numbers are slightly inflated because of conditions, their batsmen numbers are lower too.

 

[Princejain191]

Looks unlikely. But a great test player regardless. Does have some easy series at the end of the year and in 2019. Probably his last and best chance.

 

[Bilal7]

We can also understand this point by looking at averages of SA bowlers in comparison to others.:-

Philander 21(GOAT average but he is not some GOAT bowler )
Rabada 21( GOAT average)
Morkel 28(if he played in some other country, he would have been averaging over 30).

Just like their fast bowlers numbers are slightly inflated because of conditions, their batsmen numbers are lower too.

Yes, precisely. I've been saying this for some time now. This mostly affects top order batsmen and opening bowlers.

 

[Big Mac]

We can also understand this point by looking at averages of SA bowlers in comparison to others.:-

Philander 21(GOAT average but he is not some GOAT bowler )
Rabada 21( GOAT average)
Morkel 28(if he played in some other country, he would have been averaging over 30).

Just like their fast bowlers numbers are slightly inflated because of conditions, their batsmen numbers are lower too.

You can't compare the Saffer batsmen's averages to the Saffer bowling averages. You have to look at how easy the opposition bowlers find it when bowling at the home batsmen.

I did a very quick statsguru query, looking at the number of bowlers that average under 30 in a few countries. As I said, it was very quick so I looked at the last 10 years for touring bowlers that had played a minimum of 3 tests and bowled in 5 innings. (This is just because it was easy to select from the drop down menu)

WI: 21/37 - 56.76%
SA: 12/33 bowlers averaged under 30 - 36.36%*
UAE: 9/26 - 34.62%
SL: 10/31 - 32.26%
Ban: 4/13 - 30.77%
England: 14/48 - 29.17%
NZ: 5/24 - 20.83%
India - 8/44 - 18.18%
Aus: 7/40 - 17.5%


*(One of these is Michael Clarke who averages 10.33 for taking 3 wickets in 19.5 overs so doesn't really count as a bowler. Without him it's 34.38%)

Zim: 3/4 - 75% (Not enough tests played in Zimbabwe to get a decent sample size)

Yes, the claim that South Africa is a tough place to bat holds up to this rough and ready analysis but it appears that the UAE is just as difficult so the records of Pakistani batsmen ought to be re-evaluated

The Windies being far and away the easiest for bowlers obviously correlates to the relative strength of their test side so I had a look at the likelihood of home bowlers averaging under 30.

SA: 12/20 - 60%
Aus: 11/21 - 52.38%
Eng: 9/23 - 39.13%
Ind: 6/19 - 31.58%
UAE: 5/16 - 31.25%
Zim: 4/14 - 28.57%
WI: 6/23 - 26.09%
NZ: 6/24 - 25%
SL: 3/19 - 15.79%
Ban: 3/23 - 13.04%

Then because what the hell, I just subtracted the away percentage from the home numbers to get an idea of home track bullying.

Aus: 34.88
SA: 25.38
Ind: 13.4
Eng: 9.96
NZ: 4.17
UAE: -3.37
SL: -16.47
Ban: -17.73
WI: -30.67
Zim: -46.43


So basically, Australia have been huge home track bullies, India too but not nearly as much.

Saffers bowlers LOVE bowling at home more than anybody but touring bowlers also have success there that they don't find in Australia and India.

The away averages being higher than the home ones for SL/Ban/WI reflects the frailty of their test sides over the last 10 years.

UAE is the most balanced host nation of the lot when it comes to 'home' vs away bowlers and I was surprised to see that away bowlers are more likely to average under 30 considering how we went so long without losing a series.

 

[Big Mac]

Also it's interesting to see how much of the third (home-away) table more or less correlates with what you'd think of if you were asked to rank the best test sides over the last ten years with the exception of Australia being above the Saffers and the UAE in 6th spot suggests that we punched miles above our weight as a team over the last few years.

 

[Indiafan]

Amla has played most of his matches in tought home conditions so we can ignore his comparatively lower average. If he were playing in India at home, he would have a much higher overall average.

Would he? Doesn't he struggle against good spin bowling?

 

[Big Mac]

Would he? Doesn't he struggle against good spin bowling?

I hate the "If he played all his home tests in [Insert country here]" his average would be higher/lower argument. Completely ignores the fact that your game evolves to suit the home conditions, if Amla grew up in India he'd be a totally different player. If Kohli spent his whole career playing in South Africa his technique would be completely different. If David Warner or Steve Smith suddenly had to play all their 'home' tests in England instead of Australia their averages would drop by 5-10 runs.

Players play better in their home conditions, no matter what those are. It's such a ridiculous thing to claim.

 

[Sidilicious]

I hate the "If he played all his home tests in [Insert country here]" his average would be higher/lower argument. Completely ignores the fact that your game evolves to suit the home conditions, if Amla grew up in India he'd be a totally different player. If Kohli spent his whole career playing in South Africa his technique would be completely different. If David Warner or Steve Smith suddenly had to play all their 'home' tests in England instead of Australia their averages would drop by 5-10 runs.

Players play better in their home conditions, no matter what those are. It's such a ridiculous thing to claim.

Good point. But would you classify him as ATG, if he retires now?

I am not sure. Certainly thought he was ATG to be 2 years back, but not sure anymore. Was his run of form just an extended purple patch? But, he still comes up with some vital 50s and important runs that allow his team to win.

 

[sam_ahm]

How does it matter really?

For example I'm just so happy that Hash scored a vital half century, soaked in the pressure along with Elgar and then contributed with precious little runs in the 2nd innings to help RSA win!! It is all that matters.

Had he scored a century and RSA were to lose those would not have been as valuable runs as these that he scored in a winning cause.

 

[Big Mac]

Good point. But would you classify him as ATG, if he retires now?

I am not sure. Certainly thought he was ATG to be 2 years back, but not sure anymore. Was his run of form just an extended purple patch? But, he still comes up with some vital 50s and important runs that allow his team to win.

He's 100% one of the ATG ODI players, and he's certainly one of the best test players of his generation.

 

[Ab Fan]

You can't compare the Saffer batsmen's averages to the Saffer bowling averages. You have to look at how easy the opposition bowlers find it when bowling at the home batsmen.

I did a very quick statsguru query, looking at the number of bowlers that average under 30 in a few countries. As I said, it was very quick so I looked at the last 10 years for touring bowlers that had played a minimum of 3 tests and bowled in 5 innings. (This is just because it was easy to select from the drop down menu)

WI: 21/37 - 56.76%
SA: 12/33 bowlers averaged under 30 - 36.36%*
UAE: 9/26 - 34.62%
SL: 10/31 - 32.26%
Ban: 4/13 - 30.77%
England: 14/48 - 29.17%
NZ: 5/24 - 20.83%
India - 8/44 - 18.18%
Aus: 7/40 - 17.5%


*(One of these is Michael Clarke who averages 10.33 for taking 3 wickets in 19.5 overs so doesn't really count as a bowler. Without him it's 34.38%)

Zim: 3/4 - 75% (Not enough tests played in Zimbabwe to get a decent sample size)

Yes, the claim that South Africa is a tough place to bat holds up to this rough and ready analysis but it appears that the UAE is just as difficult so the records of Pakistani batsmen ought to be re-evaluated

The Windies being far and away the easiest for bowlers obviously correlates to the relative strength of their test side so I had a look at the likelihood of home bowlers averaging under 30.

SA: 12/20 - 60%
Aus: 11/21 - 52.38%
Eng: 9/23 - 39.13%
Ind: 6/19 - 31.58%
UAE: 5/16 - 31.25%
Zim: 4/14 - 28.57%
WI: 6/23 - 26.09%
NZ: 6/24 - 25%
SL: 3/19 - 15.79%
Ban: 3/23 - 13.04%

Then because what the hell, I just subtracted the away percentage from the home numbers to get an idea of home track bullying.

Aus: 34.88
SA: 25.38
Ind: 13.4
Eng: 9.96
NZ: 4.17
UAE: -3.37
SL: -16.47
Ban: -17.73
WI: -30.67
Zim: -46.43


So basically, Australia have been huge home track bullies, India too but not nearly as much.

<B>Saffers bowlers LOVE bowling at home more than anybody but touring bowlers also have success there that they don't find in Australia and India.</B>

The away averages being higher than the home ones for SL/Ban/WI reflects the frailty of their test sides over the last 10 years.

UAE is the most balanced host nation of the lot when it comes to 'home' vs away bowlers and I was surprised to see that away bowlers are more likely to average under 30 considering how we went so long without losing a series.

which means SA conditions are the most conducive to bowling. Isn't it?

 

[Big Mac]

which means SA conditions are the most conducive to bowling. Isn't it?

As conducive as the UAE, sure.

 

[Bilal7]

Would he? Doesn't he struggle against good spin bowling?

He averages 60+ in India and 70+ in the UAE. He has scored hundreds against Saeed Ajmal, Rangana Herath, Anil Kumble and Harbhajjan Singh. He also totally nullified Swann in his own backyard (average of 60+ in England as well).

Of course, someone who only watched him bat in the 2015 series in India would think that Amla, along with all the other batsmen in that series, struggles against good spin bowling. The reality however, is that it was the pitches in those series that made the batsmen struggle and not the bowling itself.

 

[Bilal7]

Would he? Doesn't he struggle against good spin bowling?

Good point. But would you classify him as ATG, if he retires now?

I am not sure. Certainly thought he was ATG to be 2 years back, but not sure anymore. Was his run of form just an extended purple patch? But, he still comes up with some vital 50s and important runs that allow his team to win.

No, he's just old now. He averaged nearly 65 with valuable runs all over the cricketing world during his peak from 2010 to the end of 2014. What purple patch lasts nearly six years?

Before that, from 2007 to 2009, he was a world class batsman as well. Since 2015, he's had one fantastic home series against England; did very well in some tough conditions on the return tour of England; bullied Sri Lanka and Bangladesh at home; and in his last three tests has three fifties in difficult batting conditions.

He's an ATG and the best batsman of his generation.

 

[Bilal7]

As conducive as the UAE, sure.

India and the UAE would have higher percentages had Indo-Pak cricket not been at a standstill. As it stands, the only team who's bowlers can take advantage of Indian and Emirati conditions is Sri Lanka. No one else has the spinners for it.

 

[soso_killer]

Would he? Doesn't he struggle against good spin bowling?

Where did you get that?

 

[SLcric123]

Above average batsmen

 

[Ab Fan]

As conducive as the UAE, sure.

No way can UAE be conducive to bowling. Venues like Abu Dhabi has the flattest pitch around .I am sorry but I am unable to understand what is the conclusion of your post. Those stats hide many more things than what they reveal IMO.

 

[Ab Fan]

Would he? Doesn't he struggle against good spin bowling?

He averaged 490 in a 2- test series in India in 2010 and scored a 100 in 2008 tour also.

He also played a match-saving 139 in SL against Herath.

 

[Ab Fan]

Amla is a better test batsmen than Kallis IMO and at same level to Smith.

His impact was of the highest degree between 2008-2014 when SA were undefeatable.

In odis however, both Kallis and Amla are first order of bottlers.

 

[barah_admi]

No, he's just old now. He averaged nearly 65 with valuable runs all over the cricketing world during his peak from 2010 to the end of 2014. What purple patch lasts nearly six years?

Before that, from 2007 to 2009, he was a world class batsman as well. Since 2015, he's had one fantastic home series against England; did very well in some tough conditions on the return tour of England; bullied Sri Lanka and Bangladesh at home; and in his last three tests has three fifties in difficult batting conditions.

He's an ATG and the best batsman of his generation.

Well this should end the thread. Great post.

I don't get the semantic nonsense being spouted by some on here "oh yeah he is great, but is he all time great"....what does that mean? Jeez.

A great player is a great player. Amla is certainly great and since the end of the Ponting/Tendulkar/Lara era, he has been the best alongside AB. Maybe some day Root, KOhli, Williamson and Smith will match them, or even surpass them but that day is a while away.

Let's enjoy the twilight of his career.

 

[IndianFan2018]

Even with average of above 50 ... will be level below compared to ATG like etc.

Only few years of his peak looked good; but mostly he scored lot soft runs in deadrubbers.

never dominated like other ATGs #MyOpinion

 

[Majestic]

Not an ATG. His fan base is so ridiculous that they hype every 50 he scores.

 

[Bilal7]

He averaged 490 in a 2- test series in India in 2010 and scored a 100 in 2008 tour also.

He also played a match-saving 139 in SL against Herath.

Series-winning, actually. Herath was chewing the Saffers up in the second test but Amla ensured the Proteas would win their first series in the country in several years by escaping with a draw.

It's interesting that his performance in the backyards of the best teams of this decade (Aus, Eng, Pak and India) is much better than his performance in the backyards of the weaker teams of this decade (NZ, SL, WI and Ban). Usually, it is the other way around with players bullying the weaker teams and failing against one or more of the stronger teams, especially away.

# turns it on when it counts.

 

[Ab Fan]

Series-winning, actually. Herath was chewing the Saffers up in the second test but Amla ensured the Proteas would win their first series in the country in several years by escaping with a draw.

It's interesting that his performance in the backyards of the best teams of this decade (Aus, Eng, Pak and India) is much better than his performance in the backyards of the weaker teams of this decade (NZ, SL, WI and Ban). Usually, it is the other way around with players bullying the weaker teams and failing against one or more of the stronger teams, especially away.

# turns it on when it counts.

Brilliant batsmen in tests.

Best test batsmen between 2010-2014. SA's memorable series wins won't have come without him.

However, he was pretty average before 2010(averaging 39 till 2009) and also since 2015(averaging 40).

 

[Joseph Gomes]

Even with average of above 50 ... will be level below compared to ATG like etc.

Only few years of his peak looked good; but mostly he scored lot soft runs in deadrubbers.

never dominated like other ATGs #MyOpinion

You're trolling right? Amla is possibly the most clutch batsman in test since 2000. He has tons of match winning performance in test, all over the world

 

[Bilal7]

Brilliant batsmen in tests.

Best test batsmen between 2010-2014. SA's memorable series wins won't have come without him.

However, he was pretty average before 2010(averaging 39 till 2009) and also since 2015(averaging 40).

He had a poor start all the way back in 2004-05 which is why that average does not reveal how good he has during the 2007-2009 period. Had a successive, 50+ average series in Australia, England and India; a superb century against Shane Bond away from home; and an overall average of around 46 during those three years. That's pretty good for a #3 batsman.

Since 2015, age has definitely caught up to him but he also had to bat in some tough series for batsmen (2015-16 series in India, a couple of series against the Kiwis, 2017 series in England and the two recent home series against India and South Africa barring the test in Centurion) which has also contributed to his lower, overall average.

 

[Buffet]

I will take his 48 average just fine. He was instrumental in many away series wins.

 

[Ab Fan]

He had a poor start all the way back in 2004-05 which is why that average does not reveal how good he has during the 2007-2009 period. Had a successive, 50+ average series in Australia, England and India; a superb century against Shane Bond away from home; and an overall average of around 46 during those three years. That's pretty good for a #3 batsman.

Since 2015, age has definitely caught up to him but he also had to bat in some tough series for batsmen (2015-16 series in India, a couple of series against the Kiwis, 2017 series in England and the two recent home series against India and South Africa barring the test in Centurion) which has also contributed to his lower, overall average.

2009 was a bad year for him. He averaged 34 only.

2007 & 2008 were good one. Still it was only 2010 when he announced himself as really a next great test batsmen.

 

[IndianFan2018]

You're trolling right? Amla is possibly the most clutch batsman in test since 2000. He has tons of match winning performance in test, all over the world

Personal opinion ... I never felt assured about his batting except few years when he was No. 1 test batsman. Doesn't create fear in opposition camp like

 

[Joseph Gomes]

Personal opinion ... I never felt assured about his batting except few years when he was No. 1 test batsman. Doesn't create fear in opposition camp like

I don't know how you define fear. Test matches are not LOI, you don't need to score a ton off 30 balls to win matches. Here are some match winning knocks by Amla overseas against India, Australia and England

253* at Nagpur (2010)
114 and 123* at Kolkata (2010)
311* at Oval (2012)
121 at Lords (2012)
196 at Perth (2012)

South Africa has won all those matches and Amla won the MoM in 4 of those.

He doesn't have to be on par with tier 1 ATG like Tendulkar or Ponting. Amla has been the best batsman who debuted post-2000 against the top cricketing nations overseas. You can have your opinion but your facts are incorrect.

 

[Ab Fan]

What should be 2010s XI?

 

[Joseph Gomes]

Best away average in 2010 (min 20 matches)

Smith 57.53
Amla 52.14
Rahane 50.74
Cook 49.39
ABD 47.73
Root 47.28
Kohli 45.94
Trott 41.81
Younis 40.50
KP 40.24

Amla is only below Smith, who's possibly the best test batsman in last 20 years. Only these two have 50+ away average since 2010

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/en...0;spanval1=span;template=results;type=batting

 

[Adijazz1706]

Best away average in 2010 (min 20 matches)

Smith 57.53
Amla 52.14
Rahane 50.74
Cook 49.39
ABD 47.73
Root 47.28
Kohli 45.94
Trott 41.81
Younis 40.50
KP 40.24

Amla is only below Smith, who's possibly the best test batsman in last 20 years. Only these two have 50+ away average since 2010

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/en...0;spanval1=span;template=results;type=batting

Smith's home avg is rubbish against top 6, < 35 IIRC

 

[Joseph Gomes]

Smith's home avg is rubbish against top 6, < 35 IIRC

This is Steven Smith from Australia, not Graeme Smith

 

[Princejain191]

Best away average in 2010 (min 20 matches)

Smith 57.53
Amla 52.14
Rahane 50.74
Cook 49.39
ABD 47.73
Root 47.28
Kohli 45.94
Trott 41.81
Younis 40.50
KP 40.24

Amla is only below Smith, who's possibly the best test batsman in last 20 years. Only these two have 50+ away average since 2010

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/en...0;spanval1=span;template=results;type=batting

Weird that you haven't included neutral venues and also neglected Bangladesh (although included WI which has been as good as Bangla tbf)

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/en...5;team=6;team=8;template=results;type=batting

This is what I find. Of course I am not including Pak batsmen cos UAE is seen as a neutral venue by statsguru for Pakistan players. Smith not quite as ahead when you look at this. LOL at Smith as the best test batsman in 20 years - still looks awful against moving ball. I'd pick Amla and AB 10/10. They haven't had the privilege of averaging 70+ at home though. Even Khawaja averages 60 in Australia

 

[Joseph Gomes]

Weird that you haven't included neutral venues and also neglected Bangladesh (although included WI which has been as good as Bangla tbf)

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/en...5;team=6;team=8;template=results;type=batting

This is what I find. Of course I am not including Pak batsmen cos UAE is seen as a neutral venue by statsguru for Pakistan players. Smith not quite as ahead when you look at this. LOL at Smith as the best test batsman in 20 years - still looks awful against moving ball. I'd pick Amla and AB 10/10. They haven't had the privilege of averaging 70+ at home though. Even Khawaja averages 60 in Australia

Well Smith being best batsman in last 20 years was based on overall stats. I didn't include Bangladesh because they have only one tests away. WI has won against England and Pakistan, and drew a test in India. Whatever Smith like look against moving ball, his stats don't reflect that.

Don't want to go off topic here, Amla being best overseas batsman of the decade is supported by almost all filters, which is what's relevant for this thread.

 

[Ab Fan]

Weird that you haven't included neutral venues and also neglected Bangladesh (although included WI which has been as good as Bangla tbf)

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/en...5;team=6;team=8;template=results;type=batting

This is what I find. Of course I am not including Pak batsmen cos UAE is seen as a neutral venue by statsguru for Pakistan players. Smith not quite as ahead when you look at this. LOL at Smith as the best test batsman in 20 years - still looks awful against moving ball. I'd pick Amla and AB 10/10. They haven't had the privilege of averaging 70+ at home though. Even Khawaja averages 60 in Australia

Wasn't Smith 143 in Brisbane came in swinging conditions? It was an ATG knock.

 

[IndianFan2018]

I don't know how you define fear. Test matches are not LOI, you don't need to score a ton off 30 balls to win matches. Here are some match winning knocks by Amla overseas against India, Australia and England

253* at Nagpur (2010)
114 and 123* at Kolkata (2010)
311* at Oval (2012)
121 at Lords (2012)
196 at Perth (2012)

South Africa has won all those matches and Amla won the MoM in 4 of those.

He doesn't have to be on par with tier 1 ATG like Tendulkar or Ponting. Amla has been the best batsman who debuted post-2000 against the top cricketing nations overseas. You can have your opinion but your facts are incorrect.

All the knocks you mentioned are from 2010 - 12 period, Amla was at his peak then and was No.1 test batsman (I did mentioned he was good for some years in my earlier posts).

I personally feel Amla is tier 2 or below as a test batsman, let's agree to disagree.

For me, Inzamam was better Test batsman than , stats may not support my view #PersonalChoice

 

[Joseph Gomes]

All the knocks you mentioned are from 2010 - 12 period, Amla was at his peak then and was No.1 test batsman (I did mentioned he was good for some years in my earlier posts).

I personally feel Amla is tier 2 or below as a test batsman, let's agree to disagree.

For me, Inzamam was better Test batsman than , stats may not support my view #PersonalChoice

Look at the above posts, Amla's overseas stats are the best in 2010s. Very few people count home stats and away stats always get more weight. Amla is the best away batsman of this generation.

 

[Princejain191]

Wasn't Smith 143 in Brisbane came in swinging conditions? It was an ATG knock.

Not at all dude. It was a slow pitch. Pretty horrible for a Brisbane deck which is supposed to be relatively faster than most Australian ones. Good knock but I only watched it because i had absolutely nothing to do that week. Australian pitches just are so dead most of the times and then imagine watching 130k bowlers on them. Swinging? Pfffftttt. Only time it swung in Ashes was under lights in Adelaide and Woakes and Anderson made Smith look like a little kid.

 

[IndianFan2018]

Look at the above posts, Amla's overseas stats are the best in 2010s. Very few people count home stats and away stats always get more weight. Amla is the best away batsman of this generation.

Let's agree to disagree brother.... Stats will not tell everything always e.g. second best test average after Bradman is Adam Voges

 

[Princejain191]

Well Smith being best batsman in last 20 years was based on overall stats. I didn't include Bangladesh because they have only one tests away. WI has won against England and Pakistan, and drew a test in India. Whatever Smith like look against moving ball, his stats don't reflect that.

Don't want to go off topic here, Amla being best overseas batsman of the decade is supported by almost all filters, which is what's relevant for this thread.

Bangladesh recently drew in SL and also drew against England and Australia at home. WI last drew a test in India in 2011, when WI lost the 3 test series 2-0.

Also why we shouldn't just look at stats. Stats don't reflect a lot, especially when looked in aggregate terms. Yep, Amla has been a champion no. 3 since very long. An all-condition player.

 

[JaDed]

No ,but he has shown more character in many tough matches,ATG for me

 

[SLcric123]

Can Hashim Amla get to 10,000 test runs?

 

[jeeteshssaxena]

Amla might be an atg but he is surely way behind sanga.
People telling tales about his impact must take into account that his team had the best bowling attack and also one of the best batters.

 

[Ab Fan]

He might get to 10,000 runs if he gets back to form as the upcoming series ahead arent too tough. He might miss out on that record too if he still doesn't score because he has went way too downhill.

Amla was at ATG level between 2010-2014 but far mediocre before that. He averaged 44 in 2007, 52 in 2008 and 34 in 2009. So, he started playing at world class level from 2010 only. And after 2014, he has gone way too dowonhill.

A country great because during that phase, he batted like an absolute legend, averaging 65 for those five years and performed in every single big series. However, outside that he doesn't have much to boost of.

 

[SLcric123]

7 tests ahead before WC 2019.

 

[Majestic]

He might get to 10,000 runs if he gets back to form as the upcoming series ahead arent too tough. He might miss out on that record too if he still doesn't score because he has went way too downhill.

Amla was at ATG level between 2010-2014 but far mediocre before that. He averaged 44 in 2007, 52 in 2008 and 34 in 2009. So, he started playing at world class level from 2010 only. And after 2014, he has gone way too dowonhill.

A country great because during that phase, he batted like an absolute legend, averaging 65 for those five years and performed in every single big series. However, outside that he doesn't have much to boost of.

He won't get to 10K runs.

 

[Ab Fan]

He won't get to 10K runs.

I think time has come for him to call it off like his other contemporaries, AB de Villiers and Alastair Cook, have called off. He is pretty much done as a player and I dont see him carrying longer till 10K runs landmark.

He should play the upcoming home tour against Pakistan and Sri Lanka and say goodbye as well. 9.4K test runs at 46 will still be a great deal for a top order batsmen from SA.

 

[Hasan123]

Struggled massivley at the start of his career and has a big decline in the last few years. 1 purple patch isn't enough to be an ATG.

Been a good player for South Africa but his time is up.

 

[MenInG]

No 100s for Hashim Amla in 2018 so far...

 

[Ab Fan]

A good series for Amla bhai.. Avi bhi jaan hai

 

[Plumb]

If we play another test series he will surely achieve this milestone..

 

[BaankeJi]

Hashim Bhai is at 47.25 now.
Regardless where his average ends up, he is a great.

 

[Swashbuckler]

Hope Amla makes the trip to India later this year for a final battle against Indian attack before he can call it quits. Imagine Bumrah/Shami/Jadeja/Ashwin/Kuldeep against a determined Amla who wants to bow out in glory in the country he made his name a decade back.

 

[jnaveen1980]

He used to pad up his stats with meaningless knocks on dead tracks. Now not many runs. But the runs he gets are valuable.

 

[charlie007]

One of the better batsmen around during his peak, but no so anymore. He's way past his prime and running on fumes. It doesn't appear he's going to be touching 50 avg again, but then I'm not god.