South African captain Hashim Amla defied England's bowlers and batted throughout the third day of the second Test at Newlands on Monday. Amla made an unbeaten 157 as South Africa reached 353 for three at the close, still 276 runs behind England's first innings total of 629 for six declared.
AB de Villiers was the only batsman dismissed during the day as South Africa, 1-0 down in the four-Test series, dug in on a pitch which offered no assistance to the bowlers. Steven Finn was the only successful bowler. He had De Villiers caught at midwicket shortly before tea after Amla and De Villiers had put on 183 in a third wicket partnership which lasted for two minutes short of five hours.
Faf du Plessis, who like Amla had endured a lean spell with the bat, made 51 not out as he helped his captain put on an unbeaten 85 for the fourth wicket. It was a crucial innings for Amla, who was under pressure for both his captaincy and his batting. South Africa have not won a Test since beating the West Indies at the same venue a year ago, while Amla had made only 150 runs at an average of 15 in 10 innings since that match.
There could be no better pitch nor more uplifting occasion for a batsman to regain his touch. After the brutality of the previous day, it was time for an artist to take centre stage as Amla led from the front, batting throughout and restoring some pride along the way. Never had he nor his team needed it more.
Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow showed brute force on Sunday, but the magic of Amla’s batting is in his wrists - supple and strong as they are - and his ability to work the ball square of the wicket and along the ground with neatness and precision, rather than down the ground and over the ropes with pure power and force. This was the surgeon’s scalpel rather than the butcher’s cleaver.
Amla - already in possession of a triple hundred against England, at the Kia Oval in July 2012 - is not sated yet, and was well supported with half-centuries from AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis. England, brought quickly back down to earth, managed only one wicket and in truth did not look like taking many more, although their energy could not be faulted.
The captaincy had appeared to be taking its toll on Amla, after an initial burst of good form upon taking the role. There is no question that his runs, rather than his leadership, are more important to his team, and he desperately needed to bring to a halt a run of eight innings without a half-century, and nine matches without a hundred - both to restore morale and underpin his captaincy credentials.
About Amla
Hashim Amla is the first South African of Indian descent to reach the national squad - his grandparents migrated from Gujarat - and he shares the penchant for wristy leg-side flicks that ooze off his bat. A quiet man, there is no doubting Amla's immense hunger for runs. His elevation to the South Africa side was a poorly kept secret after he reeled off four centuries in his first eight innings of the 2004-05 season, after being appointed captain of the Dolphins (formerly Natal) at the tender age of 21. His older brother by four years, Ahmed, made his first-class debut two seasons before Hashim, but there is little doubt that the younger Amla is the better player. He is also a devout Muslim whose requests to have logos promoting alcohol removed from his playing gear have been successful so far. Amla toured New Zealand with the South African Under-19 team in 2000-01, he captained South Africa at the 2002 Under-19 World Cup, and after starring for the A team, made his Test debut against India in 2004-05. He was not an instant success, with serious questions emerging about his technique as he mustered 36 runs in four innings against England later that season.
