West Indies batting great Brian Lara, Australia’s batting maestro Steve Waugh, and one of cricket’s finest all-rounders Jacques Kallis were idols for Hashim Amla during his childhood.
Throughout the ages, many legends have ruled the 22 yards with their bat, winning hearts with spectacular performances. Though it’s tough, South Africa’s former top-order batsman Hashim Amla has picked a few favourite batsmen from among these greats.
Currently in England playing the World Championship of Legends (WCL) league for South Africa Champions, Amla spoke to Star Sports and was asked about his all-time favourite three batsmen.
As a boy, Amla admired West Indian batting legend Brian Lara, Australian great Steve Waugh, and one of cricket’s best-ever all-rounders, Jacques Kallis.
On his list of favourite batsmen, Amla also includes Caribbean legend Vivian Richards, India’s Virat Kohli, and South Africa’s AB de Villiers.
Notably absent from Amla’s short list are cricket’s all-time leading run-scorer Sachin Tendulkar and Australian legend Don Bradman, both widely regarded as the greatest batsmen in history.
“Answering this is really tough. So many players have come through the years. Growing up, my three favourites were Lara, Waugh, and Kallis. But there are probably three more: recent stars Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, and I’ll mention one from earlier — Sir Vivian Richards.”
In 124 Tests for South Africa, Amla scored 9,282 runs at an average of 46.64. His tally includes 28 centuries and 41 half-centuries. Only Jacques Kallis, with 13,206 runs, has scored more for South Africa in whites.
In One Day Internationals, Amla has accumulated 8,113 runs in 181 matches, with 27 centuries and 39 fifties at an average of 49.46. He is South Africa’s third highest run-scorer in ODIs.
In international T20s, Amla has played 44 matches scoring 1,277 runs, including eight fifties but no centuries.
