Punches, but Amla doesn't drop

2008-07-15 08:51

Rob Houwing

London - Hashim Amla has further underlined his 'real deal' status in international cricket.

Monday was the turn of the unassuming, 25-year-old KwaZulu-Natalian to join a burgeoning Lord's runs-orgy in the first Test, as he played his own significant part in South Africa's successful navigation to an ultimately panic-free draw against England.

Amla will, of course, play much more of his cricket on pitches that are streets more challenging than this one; the symbolic home of the game is fast in danger of eclipsing the old featherbed at St John's, Antigua, as a shrink's couch for fast bowlers.

He was the sixth and mercifully last century-maker (and fourth South African) of the game here.

But that should not detract from the fact that any Test 'ton' is always a good one in many respects - and Amla ticked some rather opportune boxes for himself at Lord's.

Here, after all, was a fellow who had served an uncomfortable part of his Test apprenticeship against the same opposition on South African soil in 2004/05 - and was given a right old roughing-up by them in the process.

In two appearances that summer, Amla's runs amounted to no more than loose change on the kitchen counter - 36 at 9.00. Sometimes, those sort of figures alone can be the irreversible breaking of a 'promising' youngster.

Indeed, so torrid was his experience (it included the odd poor umpiring decision, which hardly helped) that sections of the media then, both domestic and UK, mustered the hoary old goat that he was a 'political' selection.

And of course critics had a good old guffaw at his - then; it's getting less and less pronounced now - periscope-aimed-to-point backlift.

Tired legs

But the devout Muslim is clearly made of the sort of stuff that transcends adversity and prejudice, and his batting shares have since risen nicely at coincidentally the same time as global economic stocks have teetered and tumbled.

With his unbeaten 104 at Lord's on Monday, which did another sadistic Proteas job in ensuring England will drag some tired legs to Headingley, Amla inched his average after 26 Tests threateningly close to the 40 mark: it's 38.77 now.

Most satisfyingly for him, England's faster bowlers (James Anderson seems to have taken it upon himself to be the main HM Amla heat-seeking missile) have hurled a lot of whistling leather at his head and ribcage - but not yet dropped him to the canvas.

Particularly toward the close of day four, because the attack was collectively less frisky on the fifth, Anderson unleashed a barrage of short stuff at Amla, with fields gleefully set to snaffle an intended cowering deflection to short-leg or thereabouts. But the kill never came.

Buoyed no doubt by the athletic way he dropped his wrists or bobbed and weaved against some true snorters, Amla clearly took heart and, from 20 not out overnight, set out his stall afresh for his own assault... on three figures.

That he got there, adding his name to an outrageously swelling Lord's centuries honours board, was a tribute to the sort of limpet determination that has always marked his stays at the wicket.

Amla knows that England will continue to throw both the sink and the geyser at him for the next few weeks. Captain Michael Vaughan confirmed as much at the post-game press conference: "We'll ask a few more questions (of Amla) if we can get a bit more zest out of pitches."

And the Dolphins man himself told Sport24: "I guess it's because (they've seen that) I'm not a big hooker or puller. I just work continually on my technique against quick bowling.

"It'll be the same again from them, I'm sure. Hopefully with the same result for me."

As they say on the quiz shows: that's exactly the right answer...

- Sport24