Hashim Mohammad Amla OIS (born 31 March 1983) is a South African former cricketer who played for South Africa in all three formats of the game. Amla holds the record for being the fastest ever to score 3000, 4000, 6000 and 7000 ODI runs, and second fastest to reach 5000 runs. He also became the fastest cricketer to reach 10 ODI centuries. Amla is an occasional off break bowler, and was South Africa's Test captain from June 2014 to January 2016. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen to have played for South Africa, and also, one of the greatest opening batsmen of all time.
He is a right-handed batsman and holds the record for the highest individual Test score of any South African batsman of 311 not out, scored against England at The Oval, London in July 2012.
He became the fastest cricketer to score 15, 16, 17, 18 and 20 centuries in One Day International (ODI) Cricket, doing so in 86, 94, 98, 102 and 108 innings respectively.
He has scored ODI centuries against all Test playing countries and is only the fourth person to do so. He was named as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 2013. In 2017, he scored 2 centuries in the Indian Premier League, playing for Kings XI Punjab. On 3 June 2017, he became the fastest cricketer to reach 25 ODI centuries. On 19 January 2018, Amla broke Virat Kohli’s record for being the fastest cricketer to reach 27 centuries in ODI cricket. Amla has reached the milestone in 167 innings, surpassing Kohli's 169.
He, along with Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis and AB de Villiers formed the batting core of the South African team for a long time, helping the team score runs consistently and at a high run rate.
On 8 August 2019, Amla announced his retirement from international cricket. On 18 January 2023, Amla announced his retirement from all cricket.
Personal life
Born in Durban, Amla is a devout Muslim. He is of Indian descent; his grandfather had migrated to South Africa from Surat, India, in 1927. He was raised in a middle-class home and sent to the Durban High School, which is also the alma mater of Lance Klusener and Barry Richards. His elder brother, Ahmed Amla, was also a professional cricketer. Ahmed made his debut two years earlier than Hashim and they played together for a time at the KwaZulu-Natal Dolphins. Amla married Sumaiyah and they have two children.
Early years
Upon graduating from Durban High School and impressing on the youth circuit, Amla made his debut for his provincial team, the KwaZulu-Natal Dolphins, soon captaining South Africa at the 2002 Under-19 Cricket World Cup in New Zealand, leading his team to the final. During his formative years, former Western Province captain and coach Hylton Ackerman had been influential in Amla's development, first spotting his talent and honing his skills during his coaching career. His promise led him to being appointed captain of KwaZulu-Natal at the young age of 21. Amla was cited as a future captain of South Africa ever since his first-class years. Amla moved from the Dolphins to Cape Cobras in 2013.
Domestic and T20 franchise career
Amla played for the Trinbago Knight Riders in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL). He has scored 410 runs in 11 matches with a strike rate of 126.54.
Amla was picked for the 2016 Indian Premier League (IPL) by the Kings XI Punjab as a replacement for Shaun Marsh, after the latter's injury. Since then, he has proved to be an integral part of the team's batting lineup. He has scored 577 runs in 16 matches, which included two centuries and three half-centuries. He was named in the Cricbuzz IPL XI of the tournament. In the 2018 IPL auction, Amla went unsold despite making 577 runs with 2 centuries at an average of 44.38.
In October 2018, he was named in Durban Heat's squad for the first edition of the Mzansi Super League Twenty20 tournament. Just before the 2020 Pakistan Super League season, Hashim Amla replaced Younus Khan as batting mentor for Peshawar Zalmi.
In April 2021, he was named in Western Province's squad, ahead of the 2021–22 cricket season in South Africa.
International career
Upon being appointed captain of the Dolphins, Amla began the 2004–2005 South African domestic season by scoring four centuries during his first eight innings. His success at the domestic level and consistent performances for the South Africa A squad led to him being chosen for the winter 2004 tour of Africa at the age of 21, thereby becoming the first South African of Indian descent to represent South Africa in international cricket.