Hashim Amla announces retirement from international cricket
The bearded monk of South African batting will not be seen in the international cricket from now onwards. Hashim Amla has announced retirement from international cricket with immediate effect. The 36-year old was a modern-day batting great but the right-hand batsman was suffering from a bad patch for a long time. The batsman termed his glorious 15-year career as an ‘incredible ride’. He will continue playing in domestic cricket. His retirement comes just days after Dale Steyn announced his Test retirement.
Amla’s statement
“Firstly, all glory and thanks to the Almighty for granting me this Proteas journey which has been nothing but a joy and privilege,” Amla said in his statement. “I learnt many lessons during this incredible ride, made many friends and most importantly shared in the love of a brotherhood called Protea Fire.”
“I would like to thank my parents for their prayers, love and support, it is their shadow over me that enabled me to play for years under the Protea sun,” Amla added.
“Also, My family, friends and agent, my teammates and every member of the support staff throughout this incredible journey. A heartfelt thank you to every one of you. The fans for energizing me when times were tough, and for celebrating with me when we succeeded together. Siyabonga South Africa!”
“And, of course, a very special thanks to the President and the Board at Cricket South Africa – not forgetting the Chief Executive, Mr Thabang Moroe, and his administrative team. I really appreciate all the opportunities and am truly grateful. Love and peace.”
Amla played in a total of 349 international matches which includes 124 Test matches and 181 ODIs. He has scored over 18,000 international runs with a total of 55 centuries. He holds the records for most ODI tons for South Africa (27) and is also the fastest to reach 2K, 3K, 4K, 5K, 6K, & 7K ODI runs. Amla is also the only Protea batsman to a score a Test triple ton. His last innings for the national side was in the 2019 World Cup against Sri Lanka, where he struck 80 not out in the winning effort.
