Under the SKanner: Hashim Amla
Could anyone in their right mind doubt the ability or temperament of Hashim Amla, that run-machine from Durban who strolled to the top half of South Africa's prestigious list of run-makers with a technique that critics once ostracised as impossible to score with?
Now take a moment and assume that Amla was not the ever-pleasing, down to earth and composed human being that he is now.
Would he have won over millions of fans with his elegant cover drives or smart wrist work and bat speed that defies all the laws of physics?
His technique often evokes the response, 'where does the bat come from?' each time he swishes that powerful blade to send the ball roaring to the fence.
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Here, we try to analyse Amla's strengths and weaknesses as a batsman, and why, despite being labelled a Test player, he has had immense success in the shorter formats of the game.
Strengths:
Against Fast Bowlers:
#1 Driving on the up
Amla is so stable at the crease that he has no problem in driving the faster bowlers on either side of the wicket. Despite his bat coming down from the gully region, his bat speed is so exceptional that he meets the ball with a straight bat and his stillness allows him to thread the tiniest of the gaps.
Remember, Amla has a big trigger movement at the start but by the time he meets the ball his head is extremely still. When driving the ball, weight transfer is critical to the timing, and Amla has mastered that art. His balance and stillness at the crease and ability to drive on the up make him a nightmare for the cover fielders.
#2 Bat speed
Amla may have an awkward way of bringing his bat down but his incredible bat speed gets him back in business. He meets the ball at the perfect angle and, more often than not, times it to perfection. His bat speed compensates for the extra movement his bat needs to come down from such an angle.
In international cricket, fast bowlers possess that extra yard of pace, hence there is barely any time to take a long stride forward. His bat speed ensures that he meets the ball with a straight bat right under the eyes even when he does not take a big stride.
#3 Strong temperament and judgement
The biggest trait of an opening batsman or No. 3 is temperament and judgement outside the off-stump. Amla opens the innings in ODIs and T20s and more often than not walks in at 3 in Tests.
While facing the new ball, it is imperative to judge the length and line early. The South African has excellent judgement and rarely fiddles with balls that are meant to be left alone. His temperament ensures that he is barely distracted in the middle of a hostile spell or even a long innings. This makes getting him out an arduous task.
Against spin bowlers:
#1 Wrist work
Amla possesses magical wrists that allow him to work the ball from outside off-stump to the leg-side. When playing spinners this quality stands out. Amla can manoeuvre the ball easily using his wrists and this makes it difficult for spinners to tie him down at one end. A large chunk of his success in limited overs cricket can be attributed to the manner in which he milks the spinners in the middle overs.
#2 Strong defences
He played out a marathon innings in India in the final Test of a disastrous tour for South Africa. During that innings in New Delhi, Amla took 207 balls to make 23. But what stood out was his approach to the spinners and his confidence in handling Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
His technique was watertight and his defence unbreachable in that marathon knock. To succeed against a masterful spin bowler on tracks that take turn is never easy, but Amla has had immense success in India and most of that is due to his technique against the slower bowlers.
Weaknesses:
#1 Susceptible to the inswinger
Amla might compensate for his faulty backlift with exceptional bat speed but that does not make him foolproof against fast bowlers. There is a chink in Amla's armour, and that is his susceptibility to the inswinger.
Amla had a disastrous start to his international career with Irfan Pathan exposing him with the inswinger. That weakness was pushed into the background later on as Amla compiled tons and tons of runs. However, the flaw remained. Against someone like Starc, who swings it in at pace, Amla does not get the time to meet the ball with a straight bat. Movement into him off the pitch also poses problems and of late the South African has not been as adept in dealing with his flaws.
#2 Leg before candidate and the square leg hoodoo
Two modern day batsmen who like to walk across the stumps to meet the ball are Amla and Steven Smith. Both have been successful with their methods but anything wavering from the ordinary is fraught with risk.
Since Amla moves across the sticks, his bat takes more time to meet the ball and this does not do him any good. He is right in front of the stumps and anything he misses from here is sure to rap his pads right in front of the stumps.
The South African has also been dismissed while playing the ball in the air through square leg. Opposition captains have taken note of this trend and bowling at his pads with a short square-leg in place is becoming hugely popular these days.
#3 Short ball
While Amla has never been an impulsive hooker, fast bowlers have worked him over several times with the short ball. Amla takes on the hook at an awkward angle and this means he rarely meets the ball the way it should be met while playing a hook or pull.
While he gets away with it against the slower bowlers, Amla has found it much more difficult to deal with the short ball delivered by an express quick bowler.