Hashim Amla Exhibits the Famous Protea Fire

The biggest drawback to being true to form on a constant basis is that no one truly knows what it looks like when you have a bad run. For Hashim Amla, who was in incredible form thanks to a 23.36 average spanning over 10 Tests in a year, this was a nagging problem as he experienced the gravest dip when it comes to form in more than a decade.

The natural elegance, the definite wrist work, and the luxuriant cover drives from the number three batsman in South Africa is cricket’s answer to the renowned Bolshoi Ballet. The movements is so perfect, the technique is so unfailingly graceful, that when they fail to produce the necessary results it seems naturally predisposed.

Hashim Amla’s Performance

There were several discussions of his dip as being more like a decline as Amla, after all, has been playing international cricket for more than 14 years. He is also considered the oldest player in the National cricket team, at age 35. The ungainly, scratchy time he spent during the first innings while playing against Pakistan didn’t give the impression that he was a cricket player with his best years behind him.

During his time in the South African cricket squad, one of the most successful and popular marketing campaigns when it comes to cricket teams was the #ProteaFire slogan that was developed to represent the aggressive combativeness of a cricket team that will never give up. It certainly caught the attention of the public, both abroad and at home, which is essentially a symbol of how the South African side plays the game, with passion on full display and their hearts on their sleeves.

However, Amla who is one of the modern faces in the South African cricket team, is very far from the ‘fire’ the squad seems to showcase at the moment. However, playing international cricket for such an extended period of time does take its toll on any cricket player and once the motivation is completely lost, the sports is essentially over, regardless of how good you are.

Comments from other cricket players in the South African team

“Amla’s does everything exactly the same as the moment he walked into the team. That’s his trademark when you look behind the scenes. Whether he scores runs or doesn’t, his attitude and mental application remains the same even away from the game. He is an extremely calm and level-headed guy. He doesn’t get frantic at all, even when he doesn’t manage to score any runs. He merely believes that things will turn around eventually.

Thankfully, the dip that cursed Amla recently seemed to disappear while playing against Pakistan. Once the ball lost its venom and shine, Pakistan were the ones that were blinking. Once he was back in form, Amla found himself improving constantly on the field and after South Africa lost several wickets during the Test, Amla was still standing as a solid rock for the South African team.