Hashim Amla says he wants to continue to captain the Proteas, and is hungry to “lead from the front” with the bat.
|||Kingsmead - Hashim Amla says he wants to continue to captain the Proteas, and is hungry to “lead from the front” with the bat in the New Year’s Test against England at Newlands.
The Proteas were whipped by 241 runs in the opening Test at Kingsmead in Durban on Wednesday, as they crashed to 174 all out in the second innings after being 85/1 at one stage.
It was a similar situation in the first innings when they recovered from 14/2 to reach 100 without any further loss of wickets, only to be bowled out for 214.
The South Africans’ batting efforts have been so poor during 2015 that they failed to put up a single 100-run partnership. Granted, their Bangladesh series was virtually washed out in total, but they came apart spectacularly in India during a 3-0 defeat and now in Durban.
Amla has been the rock around whom everyone normally bats, but his own lack of success with the willow – he only has a 50 in the 2015 New Year’s Test against the West Indies as a score above the half-century mark in the calendar year – has resulted in a knock-on effect to the rest of the line-up.
Dean Elgar’s first-innings hundred at Kingsmead was just the second Test ton by a South African this year, and he added a well-played 40 in the second innings, while AB de Villiers has been the only batsman who has come close to replicating his usual form.
“I have been disappointed not to get the runs that I’ve wanted to,” Amla told reporters in Durban after the finish before lunch on day five. “It started off well last year when I got some runs, but not being able to maintain it has been disappointing. Certainly as captain, you want to lead from the front. Hopefully I can turn it around in the next match, start leading from the front by getting the runs on the board so that the boys can follow.
“I definitely do (want to continue with the captaincy). I’ve enjoyed every minute of it and it’s just been disappointing not to get the runs. In the middle of a Test series like this, the hunger to get runs on the board is getting more.”
Amla feels the major problem for the Proteas’ batsmen at the moment is a lack of confidence. Opener Stiaan van Zyl tried to hit his way back into form with a flurry of boundaries in an attractive 33 off 36 balls in the second innings at Kingsmead, but he was undone by an in-ducker from Ben Stokes that went through his gate.
Amla himself perished with an uncharacteristic flash outside off to nick Steven Finn to wicket-keeper Jonny Bairstow for 12, while Faf du Plessis continued his lean run when he received a superb delivery from Finn that took off on a good length to find the shoulder of the bat and carry to Alastair Cook at first slip.
Du Plessis had defended valiantly for 103 minutes and 66 balls, but only scored nine runs.
Temba Bavuma ran down the track to Moeen Ali and was easily stumped by Bairstow for a duck, while JP Duminy ended on 26 not out in the second innings after being squared by Moeen in the first to be caught at slip for two.
“I would think it’s more confidence (than anything technical or mental),” Amla said in the post-match presentation on TV. “Once you get some runs under your belt, certainly you play a little bit differently. So certainly getting confidence for our batters would be of utmost.
“We’ve got to be patient with some of the younger guys and hopefully some of the senior guys like myself can try and get some runs on the board to build that confidence for the team.
“England played really well. We didn’t do our part in terms of our batting especially, which made it a bit easier for them. But they’re a good team and well-oiled unit – you can see a lot more experience in some of their younger guys too. Hopefully we can put in a better performance in Cape Town, and make it tougher for them and win the series for us 3-1.”
ashfak.mohamed@inl.co.za
@IndyCapeSport
