Hashim Amla – The Monk who is the best No.3 batsman in Test cricket

History suggests that teams blessed with the most skilled No.3 batsmen are more successful than others, especially in Test cricket. Australia had Ricky Ponting at his peak when they dominated the world; India had Rahul Dravid when their results took a U-turn especially away from home from 2001 while South Africa had Jacques Kallis, who was calm amidst the Cronje storm.

However, pressure needed to be taken off Kallis since he is aging and a complete all-rounder. And this is where Hashim Amla stepped up, replacing him at the right time. India being his ancestral home makes his batting have wrist work and a certain flair associated with batsmen such as Tendulkar, Laxman and Azharuddin. This is something unique for a South African batsman indeed!

He also possesses his country’s batting style which is more about sturdiness cum pragmatism. His approach also talks a lot about his personality, which seems to be filled with simplicity even as he lives in a world whose flamboyancy increases by the day. It takes courage and steadfastness to reject your team’s sponsor to be on your uniform, even though it’s an alcoholic company which can pay you millions of dollars and your other teammates have no hesitation in wearing it.

Proteas in trouble, whom to turn towards? Not Smith, not de Villiers yet, not exactly Kallis at the moment. It is Amla. And he has managed to reach this status, quietly doing his job to the best of his abilities while scoring at least one century every year from 2006-2013. Rarely has he suffered a bad patch in his 71 match career so far, as he is nearing 6000 runs while averaging 52. And he is only 30 years old!

If one needs proof why Amla is unquestionably the best No.3, then look no further than his several hundreds in India and England. These conditions continue to be the toughest for any foreign top order batsman to handle. No other one down batsman at present has Amla’s concentration, consistency and skill in Test cricket.

New Zealand, West Indies and Pakistan lag behind because of Kane Williamson, Darren Bravo and Azhar Ali still being work in progress batsmen respectively. Sri Lanka still have the legendary Kumar Sangakkara, but he performs better at home like his team and could retire anytime soon.

India seem to be on the up because of Cheteshwar Pujara replacing Dravid well so far. While England’s Jonathan Trott is the only man to challenge Amla slightly, but has been in a dramatic slump since the start of 2013 despite the mixed results England have had.
South Africa could be a long term No.1 if Amla continues to be productive by the day.